Complete thesis - Murdoch University

components examinedQuestion 1 What degree of alignment or dissonance is there between practice and educationfor Requirements Engineering?Question 2 What (educational) strategies will address the missing competencies practitionershave identified?As has been noted, while the bulk of the background literature is located in these two chapters,as a mechanism for ease of reading, in reality the literature, as with the methodology, wasemergent. For this reason, some detail that could be considered background is still locatedwithin the appropriate chapter.Chapter four discusses the research design and approaches this from the perspectives of researchin education and research in IT disciplines. The methodology chosen, Action Research,is informed by the style described as the ‘Deakin’ (Carr and Kemmis, 1986; Kemmis and Mc-Taggert, 1988) approach. This has merit in being adopted for studies in educational contexts(Zuber-Skerritt, 1982, 1995). Strategies for data collection and analysis are emergent, thereforea variety is discussed, and a summary of the approaches taken provided.Chapter five synthesises the knowledge gained from the previous chapters in order to developand present a framework for the Action Research study undertaken. The framework is basedon the integration of several models, each addressing a specific aspect of the study: a modelfor Action Research in an educational setting (Borg et al, 1993), a model of organisationalculture that reflects the educational context of the study (Rogers, 2002), and a model ofreflection that incorporates the necessity for engaging in double-loop learning in order toachieve professional development (Hatten, 1997).The next three chapters describe the individual cycles undertaken, following the narrativetradition of a chronological account (hence the journey metaphor). Chapter six looks atthe Cognitive Apprenticeship model for RE education as a mechanism for enabling authenticlearning and facilitating knowledge transfer. Chapter seven explores Problem-based Learning(PBL) as a model that focusses on students dealing with ill-structured problems in ‘wicked’domains by taking control of their learning. The model developed and applied in this cyclealso addresses issues of enabling creativity within a supportive learning environment. Chaptereight examines a hybrid model developed on the basis of reflection on the interventions ofthe previous two cycles. This model is applied, and students followed into the subsequentunit. The focus here is on the longer term success of the learning strategies identified asappropriate for RE education.The final chapter, Chapter nine, provides an overview of the findings of each cycle, both ata conceptual level and in practical terms, discusses the value of these and indicates what17