A Phenomenological Study on the Experiences of Science and Engineering Students Participating in Action Learning at the University

The purpose of this study is to gather the experiences of engineering and science students participating in action learning within universities and to explore the factors that indicate the support they require from these experiences. To achieve this objective, the phenomenological research method proposed by Colaizzi(1978) was employed to identify the common experiences of the participants. A purposive sampling method was utilized to select six engineering and science students who engaged in action learning as research participants. Data were collected through unstructured in-depth interviews, participant observation, and a thorough literature review. The results revealed three categories, ten theme clusters, and twenty-five themes. Based on the characteristics of engineering and science students identified through their action learning experiences, their support needs encompass 'a deficiency in communication skills', 'challenges associated with selecting manufacturing companies', 'an increased necessity for persuasion and study due to the specialization of their majors', and 'a discrepancy in perceived task difficulty between instructors and students'. The role of facilitators in addressing these needs was also examined.