Establishing the key elements and outcomes of incorporation 4th IR in construction education: A mixed bibliographic and bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The rapid, exponential fusion of technologies which profoundly disrupts all industries and processes is commonly described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4th IR). The construction industry has long been overdue for radical transformation that aligns with global trends. Consequently, how to incorporate 4th IR in construction education remains challenging. This research aims to establish what educational methods, context, tools, and technological pedagogy are required and should be adopted, as well as what effects and outcomes can be expected from incorporation of the 4th IR concepts in construction education. Therefore, this study examined the existing literature on digital technology education in order to identify and assemble the key elements and outcomes of incorporating 4th IR in higher education and to further propose a conceptual framework for adopting 4th IR specifically in construction education. The study utilized a verifiable and reproducible systematic literature review of digital education and applied a mixed bibliographic and bibliometric method which involved the analysis and scrutiny of 470 academic articles for the co-occurrence of keywords. The study revealed which keywords (and therefore research) promote specific education methods and tools and technology that are most relevant to 4th IR education, as well as the context for deployment and the outcomes that may be expected. Based on the taxonomy of key elements and outcomes and the analysis of their interconnections, a conceptual framework for adopting digitalization in construction education was developed.