Project led by:

Aroutis Foster, PhD

The researchers will conduct a pilot study focused upon the construction building trades to identify the barriers associated with technology adoption and the resistance within the trades. The work will build upon a foundational framework developed in 2021 to elucidate the underlying psychological factors that influence technology uptake in the British oil and gas industry. Through interviews, field observations and nationwide surveys, the researchers will seek to identify the psychological factors that influence technology adoption within the construction trades. The team combines education practice in the construction industry, an understanding of the methodologies associated with adult learning/workforce development, experience with the application of principles associated with the human technology interface, and practical application of systems thinking to complex societal challenges. The interdisciplinary approach seeks to identify transformational learning technologies at the human technology frontier that will revolutionize the educational methodologies used in construction reducing the labor shortage and encourage life-long pervasive learning in the trades.