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Development of a Work Sampling Methodology for Behavioral Observations: Application to Teamwork
Author(s) -
BesterfieldSacre Mary,
Shuman Larry J.,
Wolfe Harvey,
Clark Renee M.,
Yildirim Pinar
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.896
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 2168-9830
pISSN - 1069-4730
DOI - 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2007.tb00944.x
Subject(s) - teamwork , sampling (signal processing) , robustness (evolution) , work (physics) , work in process , process (computing) , computer science , psychology , management science , engineering , operations management , management , mechanical engineering , biochemistry , chemistry , filter (signal processing) , economics , computer vision , gene , operating system
Engineering programs must assess students' abilities to master “criteria 3 a‐k.” Skills such as teamwork, problem solving, design, and ethical understanding entail learning various processes; hence, assessing these outcomes is better accomplished by focusing on the process rather than the result. Methods for observing students' performance, such as 100 percent behavioral observation, are ideal but expensive. We extend work sampling, an economic industry‐based alternative, to observe cognitive and behavioral processes. Specifically, we describe a work sampling methodology to assess students engaged in teamwork. We then determine attributes of teamwork, establish target time proportions using 100 percent observation, and statistically compare the targets to proportions obtained from work sampling intervals to determine the effective interval. The robustness of work sampling is tested in four learning environments. Results indicate that sampling provides a statistically valid alternative for assessing teamwork. However, when observing design and ethical understanding processes, additional research is needed to make work sampling viable.