Influence of experiential learning on education of construction students in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa’s education sector comprises various individuals, all with different backgrounds, and this sometimes creates challenges when it comes to the teaching and learning processes, especially in construction education. This research assessed the impact of experiential training on construction education in South Africa. The study used a survey research design. Data were collected by the use of a structured questionnaire aimed at 130 respondents purposively selected among the students who were registered for Construction Management (CM), Quantity Surveying (QS), Civil Engineering and Building Science at a South African higher education institution. Out of the 130 copies of the questionnaire, only 101 were usable and therefore analysed for the study using descriptive statistics. The findings from the survey indicate that most of the respondents were of the view that collaborative learning is effective. Also, the findings of the study suggest that majority of the students are aware that they are working with people from different cultural backgrounds with experiential training running between a period of six months and 12 months. Regarding the influence of experiential training on education of students of construction programmes, the finding shows that experiential training has an influence “in encouraging students to find greater meaning in their studies”; “in providing students with exposure to the real world of work”; “encourages students to develop a greater sense of responsibility”; “encourages students to place more reliance on their judgement” ; “in creating students who are readily employable”; and “gives students access to possible funding sources in that order. The study concludes that experiential training influences education of construction students in South Africa.