The Future of Integrated Business and Engineering: Reading Skills of Business and Engineering Students

Abstract

Reading literacy is a key competence for vocational education in technical and economic fields. This study analyzes the level of sub-reading processes of text processing in 443 students aged 17 years to investigate the differences in cognitive performance between technical and economic studies. Using a standardized test, it was found that the overall performance of the students is low. Significant correlations were noted between higher cognitive processes, particularly between thinking about the content and drawing inferences. Statistically significant differences between fields of study were found using the Mann-Whitney U test. Engineering students were significantly more successful in information retrieval compared to economics students. The findings underscore the need to develop reading skills across disciplines and promote the integration of technical and economic thinking. The results have implications for curriculum design and pedagogical practice aimed at developing integrated professional competencies. Activities promoting the ability to work with technically structured texts and strengthening interdisciplinary elements through business simulations, case studies, or team projects should be systematically included. Inspiration can be drawn from successful interventions or the implementation of school standards and shared materials for reading activities, which the OECD identifies as examples of good practice.