Evaluation of Students’ Interest, Experience, and Commitment to Participate in Construction Competitions

Abstract

Abstract

Construction education at universities, community colleges, and trade schools plays a vital role in preparing students with the technical knowledge and professional marketable skills needed to successfully join the construction workforce. High-quality programs integrate classroom learning, hands-on experiences, and other activities to ensure graduates are workforce-ready. One of those other activities includes construction competitions that provide opportunities to students to apply classroom concepts in practical and competitive environments. Unfortunately, some construction programs are challenged to effectively identify and recruit students continuously who have the right mix of interest, availability, and experience. Thus, the problem addressed by this paper is the lack of data-driven understanding of the impact of students’ interest, experience, and commitment to participate in construction competitions. The overall goal of this study is to serve as an attempt to fill this gap by achieving two distinct objectives: (1) deconstructing the students’ selection criteria represented by "Total Score" and (2) predicting the probability of a candidate's final status outcome (i.e., accept an invitation to be part of a team). This research followed a quantitative research methodology. Data was collected through a detailed questionnaire distributed to construction students. The responses were analyzed to identify patterns in students' readiness and engagement, as well as gaps in experience or scheduling availability. The findings aim to inform faculty advisors and team coordinators in the selection and development of competition team members, ensuring that teams are composed of students with the appropriate balance of interest, experience, and availability.