Construction Research Congress 2020
What Does a Construction Manager Look Like? Perceptions of Hispanic High School Students and Parents
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2020: Safety, Workforce, and Education
ABSTRACT
Research has demonstrated that a career in construction is neither sought after nor considered lucrative by young students and that there is little awareness about the preparation and education required to pursue a career in construction. This study provides insight from high school students’ perspective of who a construction manager is. In addition, it explores the perceptions associated with construction managers among parents, and a comparison to the children’s perspectives. Data was collected from Hispanic high school students, mothers, and fathers through the draw-a-construction manager test (an adaptation of the draw-a-scientist test). Analysis of the data revealed a significant misconception among both students and parents about what a construction manager looks like, where a construction manager works, and what the construction manager does. This study provides significant evidence towards the need to increase awareness among the Hispanic community about construction managers and construction management as a career path and suggests avenues for further exploration.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.
REFERENCES
Albattah, M. A., Goodrum, P. M., Littlejohn, R., & Taylor, T. R. (2019). “A comparative analysis of the utilization of multiskilling among US Hispanic and non-Hispanic construction craft workers.” Int. J. Constr. Manage, 1-11.
Bilbo, D., Bigelow, B. F., Rybkowski, Z., & Kamranzadeh, A. (2014). “Effects of family-related factors on female project managers’ salaries in the construction industry in the United States.” Int. J. Constr. Educ. Res., 10(4), 255-267.
Bilbo, D., Lavy, S., Myres, D. J., & Waseem, M. (2009). “Sources of high school juniors’ and seniors’ perceptions of the construction industry.” J. of the Am. Inst. of Constructors, 33(2), 3–10
Bigelow, B. F., Perrenoud, A. J., Rahman, M., and Saseendran, A. (2019). “An exploration of age on attraction and retention of managerial workforce in the electrical construction industry in the United States.” Int. J. Constr. Educ. Res., 1-15.
Bigelow, B. F., Saseendran, A., and Elliott, J. W. (2018). “Attracting students to construction education programs: An exploration of perceptions by gender.” Int. J. Constr. Educ. Res., 14(3), 179-197.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016). “A look at the future of the U.S. labor force to 2060.” <https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2016/a-look-at-the-future-of-the-us-labor-force-to-2060/home.htm>
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2018). “Labor force statistics from the current population survey.” <https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm>;
Carnevale, A. P., Porter, A., Landis-Santos, J. (2015). “Hispanics: College major and earnings.” Center on Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University. <https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/Hispanics-College-Majors-and-Earnings.pdf?pdf=Hispanics-College-Majors-and-Earnings-PDF>
Catalyst. (2018). “Quick take: Why diversity and inclusion matter.” <https://www.catalyst.org/research/why-diversity-and-inclusion-matter/>;
Chambers, D. W. (1983). “Stereotypic images of the scientist: The Draw-a-Scientist Test.” Sci. Educ., 67(2), 255-265.
Christiansen, L., Lin, H., Pereira, J., Topalova, P., and Turk, R. (2016). “Gender diversity in senior positions and firm performance: Evidence from Europe.” Int. Monetary Fund. <https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2016/wp1650.pdf>
Elliott, J. W., Burgoon, J., & Weisshaar, M. (2019). “Exploring gender and ethnic diversity recruitment goals: Comparing 2007-2017 CM education and industry trends.” ASC Proc. of the 55th Annu. Int. Conf., Denver, CO.
Escamilla, E., Ostadalimakhmalbaf, M., and Bigelow, B. F. (2016). “Factors impacting Hispanic high school students and how to best reach them for the careers in the construction industry.” Int. J. Constr. Educ. Res., 12(2), 82-98.
Escamilla, E. F., Ostadalimakhmalbaf, M., Pariafsai, F., Gragera, C., and Alizadeh, M. N. (2018a). “Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation patterns of Higher-Education Construction Science Students at Texas A&M University: A Comparative Study.” The Prof. Constructor J. of the Am. Inst. of Constructors, 43(1), 48-61.
Escamilla, E. F., Ostadalimakhmalbaf, M., Pariafsai, F., Ranka, N., Danesh, M., and Naderi Alizadeh, M. (2018b). “Impact of Using iPad Tablets in a Construction Communication Graphics Class: Evaluation Based on System Usability Scale.” J. Educ. Technol. Syst., 0047239518773744.
Farland-Smith, D. (2012). “Development and Field Test of the Modified Draw-a-Scientist Test and the Draw-a-Scientist Rubric.” Sch. Sci.Math., 109-116.
Fielden, S. L., Davidson, M. J., Gale, A. W., & Davey, C. L. (2000). “Women in construction: The untapped resource.” Constr. Manage. Econ., 18(1), 11–3121.
Finson, K. D., Beaver, J. B., and Cramond, B. L. (1995). “Development and field test of a checklist for the Draw-A-Scientist Test.” Sch. Sci. Math., 95(4), 195-205.
Fung, D. C. H. (2002). “Strategy for penetrating engineering & construction markets in Southeast Asia for Singapore through BOT contract” (Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
Gliner, J. A., Morgan, G. A., and Leech, N. L. (2009). “Research methods in applied settings: An integrated approach to design and analysis” (2nd edition). New York, NY, US: Routledge/Tayor & Francis Group.
Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). “Circumscription and compromise: A developmental theory of occupational aspirations.” J. Counseling Psychology, 28(6), 545.
Granitz, N., Chen, S., and Kohli, K. K. (2014). “Choosing business as a college major: A survey of high school students.” J. Acad. Bus. Educ., 15, 1
Holzer, H. (2015). “Job market polarization and US worker skills: A tale of two middles.” Econ. Stud., The Brookings Institution.
Huber, R. A., and Burton, G. M. (1995). “What do students think scientists look like?” Sch. Sci. Math., 95(7), 371-376.
Hunt, V., Prince, S., Dixon-Fyle, S., and Yee, L. (2018). “Delivering through diversity.” McKinsey&Company.<https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Organization/Our%20Insights/Delivering%20through%20diversity/Delivering-through-diversity_full-report.ashx>
Kamari, M., & Ham, Y. (2018). “Automated Filtering Big Visual Data from Drones for Enhanced Visual Analytics in Construction.” In ASCE Constr. Res. Congr. 2018, New Orleans, LA.
Karimi, H., Taylor, T. R., Dadi, G. B., Goodrum, P. M., & Srinivasan, C. (2018). “Impact of skilled labor availability on construction project cost performance.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 144(7), 04018057.
Kashiwagi, D. T., & Massner, S. (2002). Solving the construction craft person skill shortage problem through construction undergraduate and graduate education. ASC Proc. of the 38th Annu. Int. Conf., Blacksburg, VA.
Nafisi, A., & Montoya, B. M. (2018). “A new framework for identifying cementation level of MICP-treated sands.” In IFCEE 2018(pp. 37-47).
National Center for Construction Education and Research. (2018). “Restoring the dignity of work: Transforming the US workforce development into a world leader.” <https://www.nccer.org/docs/default-source/pdfs/cii-rt335-longver-final_web.pdf?sfvrsn=80e91f4f_14#page=6>;
Oo, B. L., Li, S., and Zhang, L. (2018). “Understanding female students’ choice of a Construction Management undergraduate degree program: Case study at an Australian university.” J. Prof. Issues in Eng. Educ. Pract. 144(3).
Raiola, J. and Kovel, J. P. (2014). “Student diversity issues in construction management education.” ASC Proc. of the 50th Annu. Int. Conf., Blacksburg, VA.
Rasdorf, W., Hummer, J. E., & Vereen, S. C. (2016). “Data collection opportunities and challenges for skilled construction labor demand forecast modeling.” Public Works Manage. Policy, 21(1), 28-52.
Schibeci, R. A., and Sorensen, I. (1983). “Elementary school children's perceptions of scientists.” Sch. Sci. Math., 83(1), 14-20.
Sewalk, S., & Nietfeld, K. (2013). “Barriers preventing women from enrolling in construction management programs.” Int. J. Constr. Educ. Res., 9(4), 239–255
Taylor, A. (2005). “It’s for the rest of your life: The pragmatics of youth career decision making.” Youth & Soc., 36(4), 471-503.
Toth Jr, John F., and Xiaohe Xu. (1999). "Ethnic and cultural diversity in fathers' involvement: A racial/ethnic comparison of African American, Hispanic, and White fathers." Youth & Society 31(1), 76-99.
Tunji-Olayeni, P. F., Afolabi, A. O., Omuh, I. O., Ojelabi, R. A., Amusan, L. M., and Ogundipe, K. E. (2017). “Attracting and retaining female students in construction-related programs.” The Turk. Online J. Educ. Technol., 425-430.
Van Teijlingen, E., and Hundley, V. (2002). The importance of pilot studies. Nurs. Stand. (through 2013), 16(40), 33.
Zafar, B. (2011). “How do college students form expectations?” J. Labor Econ., 29(2), 301-348.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Construction Research Congress 2020: Safety, Workforce, and Education
Pages: 819 - 828
Editors: Mounir El Asmar, Ph.D., Arizona State University, David Grau, Ph.D., Arizona State University, and Pingbo Tang, Ph.D., Arizona State University
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8287-2
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Nov 9, 2020
Published in print: Nov 9, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.