165 The recognition of the relativity of increased understanding was shown in the reflections. The team who noted a proposed project which was not feasible revealed an appreciation of the context in the potential for a solution that was not practical for the situation.
“So, although a solution that solved all the problems existed, it was not feasible.” (ARC3 P24).
Step 4 – Reflect
ARC3 investigated potential mechanism changes by using reflection-for-action before the task, which could be identified in the analysis of the reflection-on-action submitted as part of the project. Reflection-for-action appeared to encourage planning while the reflections continued to support the task-effort-understanding-quality influence framework. Only one new code (resolving conflict) was identified in the analysis. However, several codes identified in the earlier cycles were not observed in ARC3. Most notable of these was the reduction in the range of codes on undertaking tasks and pursuing quality. Nevertheless, the frequency of the themes remained the same as in the prior cycles. Compared to ARC1 and ARC2, the ARC3 students reflected less on the business process management aspects (undertaking tasks) and more on communication (pursuing quality).
Although the student teams changed through each action research cycle, the major themes remained relatively constant, as did the teaching staff for the most part. This led to the consideration of whether similar results would be observed if the course work and project requirements remained constant with a change of the teaching staff. Serendipitously, the course convener was on sabbatical for the 2018 project, which allowed the study to be extended to a fourth cycle with alternate staff to that of the first three cycles.
166 alternate dynamic to the first three cycles and an opportunity to validate findings from the other cycles.
The cycle continued as per the previous cycles and was subsequently analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. For ARC4, students were required to provide a reflection-on-action and were encouraged to reflect-for-action and reflect-in-action. Fifteen out of sixteen teams (94%) provided reflective documents. The student reflections confirmed both the problems of reflection for novices and the findings from the other cycles.
Step 1 - Plan
As with the other cycles, planning was separated into four subsections where the problem was clarified, a purpose for intervention identified, mechanisms proposed, and an intervention designed (Heeks et al., 2019).
Step 1a - Clarify the problem
Although the findings in ARC3 confirmed ARC1 and ARC2 with different cohorts of students, the lecturing staff were mainly the same. The use of tutors in ARC3 had proved beneficial in assisting students in their projects and reflections. However, tutors often struggled with the concepts themselves.
Step 1b - Identify purpose of an intervention
The purpose of the fourth cycle continued to be the improvement of learning outcomes through experience and reflection. The three demi-regularities consisting of experience, reflection and improved learning continued from ARC1, ARC2 and ARC3. The primary purpose of ARC4 was to confirm findings from the study in an alternate context by changing lecturing staff.
Step 1c - Propose mechanisms for the intervention
Educators profoundly influence students' learning outcomes, although they often experience constraints limiting their teaching effectiveness (Van Manen, 2008). In ARC4, a proposed mechanism of educator influence on student learning was tested by replacing lecturers with extensive experience in the courses with lecturers less experienced and whose lecturing style differed from the regular staff.
167 Step 1d - Design an intervention and methods
As the researcher was involved in the courses as part of this study and had previously undertaken the postgraduate course, the substitute course convener invited the researcher to lecture the course's business process management components and oversee the student reflections. Regular interactions were planned between the researcher and the substitute course convener. Planning was required for tutor improvement and regular feedback sessions with the head tutor.
Step 2 - Act
The intervention took the form of an ongoing interaction between the researcher, tutors, students and course convener. No curriculum changes were made from the previous cycle.
As the researcher was not a lecturer at the university, the first task was to interact more closely with the substitute course convener. This was accomplished by sharing office space and having regular meetings with the substitute course convener. The availability of on- campus office space facilitated access to students and tutors. This made possible regular and ad-hoc meetings with tutors and ad-hoc meetings with students outside the lecture theatre.
Step 3 - Observe
The research sample for ARC4 comprised 16 full-time undergraduate student teams. Fifteen teams (94%) completed the reflection section from which the evaluation of the reflection findings took the same format as for ARC3. The structure of reporting the findings followed the earlier cycles.
Analysis of Student Reflections
As with the other cycles, the four themes of undertaking tasks, applying effort, increasing understanding and pursuing quality were observed. A similar pattern of the constructs' strength based on the number of mentions was observed earlier. Applying effort (n=155) was mentioned most frequently, followed by pursuing quality (n=74), increasing understanding (n=34) and undertaking tasks (n=33). Although the latter two themes changed from the other cycles, they differed by only one observation. Table 5.8 shows the initial code observations with the number of mentions of each code. As with the earlier cycles, the initial codes shown in Table 5.8 were revised in conjunction with the other cycles' initial codes. The final revised labels for the themes, categories and codes are shown in Table 5.9 and includes the codes
168 from all cycles for comparison. The logical sequence of task-effort-understanding-quality varied little from prior cycles.
Table 5.8. Initial codes identified for student reflections in ARC4.
Initial Code ARC4 Initial Code ARC4 Initial Code ARC4
Effort in General 36 Understanding in General 14 Division of Labour 3
Task in General 33 Meta-Cognitive Reflection 12 Communicating 2
Communication Channels 24 Managing Time 11 Interview Techniques 2
Team Dynamics 21 Team Support 11 Learning from Effort 1
Managing the Project 18 Quality in General 9 Scaffolding 1
Engaging with Stakeholders 14 Project Planning 6 Siloed Thinking 1
Positive Attitude 14 Experiential Learning 5
Table 5.9. Themes, categories, and codes for cycle ARC4, indicating the changes between cycles with the new codes (*).
Theme Category Code ARC1 ARC2 ARC3 ARC4
Undertaking Tasks 42 143 31 33
Managing Business Processes 39 116
Applying Business Process Knowledge 23 45
Modeling Business Processes 4 47
Applying Business Process Management Knowledge 24
Improving Business Processes 12
Undertaking General Tasks 3 27 31 33
Applying Effort 143 240 94 122
Applying Effort in General 29 61 20 36
Managing Projects 22 62 17 24
Prioritising Project Tasks 14 61 1 6
Managing the Project Tasks and Milestones 8 1 16 18
Engaging with Stakeholders 38 41 22 16
Managing Stakeholder Interactions 30 30 9 14
Expanding Interviewing Techniques 8 11 13 2
Managing Time 9 53 14 11
Using Time Efficiently 9 45 13 11
Starting Early 8 1
Managing Teams 24 1 21 35
Building Team Cohesiveness 16 4 11
Resolving Conflict 6 21
Delegating Tasks 8 11 3
Expanding Business Skills 21 22
Exploring Business Specific Knowledge 12 7 Expanding Business Intelligence Skills 4 15
Identifying Master Data 5
Increasing Understanding 48 66 13 33
169
Acquiring Knowledge in Context 12 37 8 19
Learning Through Scaffolding 5 15 2 1
Reflecting on Personal Attitudes 1 7 1 12
Learning Through Experience 6 2 5 5
Learning from Effort 7 1
Not Forgetting Learnings 6
Increasing General Understanding 26 22 5 14
Acquiring Analysis Skills 10 7
Pursuing Quality 85 188 26 50
Improving Communication 35 63 18 26
Conducting Communications 12 63 1 2
Using Communication Channels 23 17 24
Acting in Accordance with Personal Attitude 13 66 6 14
Acknowledging Negativity 3 35
Being Positive 8 6 14
Being Confident 9 17
Being Appreciative 5
Being Efficacious 1 1
Reacting to Environmental Factors 14 49 1
Resolving Technology Issues 7 30
Being Aware of Interconnected Contexts 7 3 1
Prioritising Life Balance 8
Appreciating Health 8
Pursuing General Quality 23 10 2 9
A thematic mapping, depicted in Figure 5.5, was generated for the themes, categories and codes identified in ARC4. In ARC4, no new codes were observed, and the mechanism themes, categories, and codes of ARC4 were similar to those of ARC3. There was clear evidence of progression from undertaking tasks to applying effort to increasing understanding and pursuing quality, as observed in prior cycles. Examples of student reflections on these progressions are shown here. As no new codes were observed, no further discussion on the individual code findings is presented.
170 Figure 5.5. ARC4 thematic map showing themes, categories and codes.
The Progression from Undertaking Tasks to Applying Effort
Some task-oriented teams applied effort to improving marks but remained absolutist in undertaking the tasks and responding directly to feedback.
“After our team presentation, the panels gave feedback on the stakeholder diagram and the scoping diagram … We improved on these comments.” (ARC4 P52).
Other students acknowledged that their tasks were not up to standard, but they fell short of moving to a higher level of transitionist effort.
“The presentation was taken well by the markers; however, in some ways, we had missed the point of the presentation … Otherwise, I felt all in all this has been an extremely effective report, project, and most of all, team …” (ARC4 P44).
171 The Progression from Applying Effort to Increasing Understanding
Whereas applying effort was posited as the transition from absolutist undertaking tasks to relativist increasing understanding, one team revealed that they applied effort to clarify aspects rather than increase understanding. This reinforced the assessment that students have stronger links to the absolutist view - focusing on external tasks - than the relativist view – focusing on learning.
“… as we continued with the assignment we found ourselves making minor changes to the diagram to just clarify some things … we believe we gave a good effort and found ways for [the client] to [improve] their current process. This has also been an eye-opening experience for the team into real-world experience …” (ARC4 P52).
Increasing understanding and resultant learning were seen in the awareness of a transition from one team's absolutist view to a relativist perspective. They remarked on the situational actions required in stakeholder management.
“An important lesson that resonated with our entire team (and the project as a whole) was the value of time. We quickly learned that in the corporate world, there is no guarantee that people will have time or make time for our requests ...” (ARC4 P50).
The Progression from Applying Effort and Increasing Understanding to Pursuing Quality Some students recognised that they were task-oriented and expressed the desire to move beyond the absolutist view. One team expressly mentioned that they had learnt that applying effort and pursuing quality held higher value than focusing on undertaking tasks.
“While being goal-oriented is important, we learned that it’s better to focus on aspects of the project we can control (how much effort we put in, the quality of our work) than aspects we have no influence over (our result mark) …” (ARC4 P50).
This team provided an interesting observation that effort and quality are under their control and therefore worthy of being pursued.
Step 4 – Reflect
ARC4 investigated student reflection in experiential learning in a business process course with similar content and student cohort as in the earlier cycles (ARC1 and ARC3) but with a change
172 in lecturing staff. The findings confirmed the earlier research findings and found no significant differences compared to the prior cycles.