Complete thesis - Murdoch University

on a positivist perspective – through an iterative process comprising complex, tightly coupledactivities user requirements are captured, structured and accurately represented so that theycan be correctly embodied in systems which are of good quality. The research literature of REpractice, on the other hand, exposes a different, interpretivist view. Here knowledge discoveryfacilitated by opportunistic behaviour and creativity dominate, with an acknowledgement ofboth the wickedness of the domain and the cognitive load of becoming competent in it.The perspectives taken on the nature of RE supports Leite (2000)’s assertion that formaleducation for RE is a major challenge of the next decade. This education has also beendominated by the positivist perspective – in general it is based on a model of professionaleducation applied in science/engineering contexts, with an aim to gain proficiency in applyingknowledge. Here science provides a rational foundation for practice [original emphasis], withpractical work at the last stage of the curriculum, where students are expected to apply sciencelearned earlier to real-life problems (Waks, 2001). However, studies of software practitionersindicate that what is taught in their formal education does not match the knowledge neededin daily work, where conceptual understanding in order to act as agents of change is of primeimportance. This gap, usually referred to being in ‘soft skills’, has been identified throughpractitioner studies as comprising affective skills, cognitive skills related to higher orderlearning and metalearning/metacognition as well as strategies to enable life-long learning.The purpose of this research is to develop and implements learning strategies which addressthe issue of aligning the competency expectations of practitioners of Requirements Engineeringwith formal education for RE, so that, by addressing the practitioner gaps, graduatesgain leverage in becoming competent professional practitioners.1.1 The nature of REA consistent assumption exists within the literature discussing systems development: that itis a cognitively intensive activity (Brooks, 1986), and that the early phases are problematicin the attempt to ensure the development of quality software (Boehm, 1981). In much ofthe literature, these problems can be traced back to issues in the requirements capture andanalysis component of the project. Contributors to problems with software developmentprojects include:• requirements issues (incompleteness, ambiguity etc) (Bell and Thayer, 1998; Johnson,1994)• expertise: lack of skill and training of RE practitioners (Senn, 1978; Lubars et al, 1993;James, 1994; Johnson, 1994; Sommerville and Sawyer, 1997; Kamsties et al, 1998; Morris2