Developing the Tendering Capacity of Anging Construction Industry Association Trainees Using Situation-based Learning Activities

Background: The construction industry faces a critical skills gap in tendering, exacerbated by an aging workforce and the limitations of traditional, theory-heavy training methods. Situation-Based Learning (SBL) offers a promising alternative by situating learning in authentic, contextualized scenarios. This study aimed to: (1) develop and validate SBL lesson plans for tendering training; (2) compare trainees' tendering capacity before and after SBL intervention; and (3) evaluate trainee satisfaction with the SBL approach. Methodology: A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed with 30 trainees from the Anqing Construction Industry Association. The intervention consisted of seven SBL lesson plans validated by experts (M = 4.35, SD = 0.47). Tendering capacity was assessed using a 100-point performance evaluation, and satisfaction was measured via a 10-item, 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Results: A paired-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant increase in tendering capacity scores from pre-test (M = 60.50, SD = 4.15) to post-test (M = 85.97, SD = 6.74), t(29) = 19.84, p < .001, with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 3.62). Trainee satisfaction with the SBL activities was very high (M = 4.72, SD = 0.54). Conclusion: The findings indicate that SBL is an effective and highly satisfactory pedagogical model for enhancing tendering capacity in construction training. The study provides a validated framework for implementing SBL to bridge the theory-practice gap in professional development.