Research Methods for Construction E-Book

Richard F. Fellows

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 621

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Research Methods for Construction will help you instil rigour into your problem-solving, and into your reports and publications. It will be of value to construction, surveying, architecture and civil engineering students undertaking research, whether for bachelors and masters degree dissertations, or for masters and doctoral research degree theses. Now in its Fourth Edition, this remains one of the few books to provide guidance on research formulation, methodologies, and methods specifically for construction students.

Three main sections – Producing a Proposal, Executing the Research and Reporting the Results discuss the key issues in research and examine the primary approaches, both qualitative and quantitative. The methods adopted for scientific and engineering experiments, model building and simulations are discussed, as well as those employed for research into management, social and economic issues. The authors examine the requirements for data and analysis, including the important statistical considerations and a range of qualitative techniques that enable construction researchers to appreciate what needs to be evaluated in devising how research may be carried out effectively and efficiently.

This new edition has been updated to reflect current debates and concerns, including ethical issues, legislation and codes of practice concerning the collection, processing, storage, use and disposal of data. Pressures of time and funding to carry out the empirical work all too often lead to a lack of attention to how the study should be done and why. The authors address the importance of explaining the philosophical approach adopted (ontology, epistemology) and the consequent methodology. They advocate close scrutiny of the methods available for appropriateness, both academically and practically.

The fundamental theme of the book remains to facilitate a researcher’s informed and justified selection of a philosophical paradigm and of appropriate methods to execute the research.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

About the Authors

Professor Richard Fellows, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University

Professor Anita Liu, Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong

Preface

Part I: Producing a Proposal

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 The concept of research

1.2 Classifications of research

1.3 Theories and paradigms

1.4 Research styles

1.5 Quantitative and qualitative approaches

1.6 Where to begin

1.7 Summary

References

Chapter 2: Topic for Study

2.1 Selection of a topic

2.2 Writing the proposal

2.3 Summary

References

Part II: Executing the Research

Chapter 3: Initial Research

3.1 The research process

3.2 Initial search

3.3 Literature-based discovery

3.4 Assembling the theoretical framework

3.5 Philosophy and methodology

3.6 Theoretical models and constructs

3.7 Proper referencing

3.8 Summary

References

Chapter 4: Approaches to Empirical Work

4.1 Role of experience

4.2 Research design

4.3 Qualitative approaches

4.4 Quantitative approaches

4.5 Experimental design (including experiments and quasi-experiments)

4.6 Case study research

4.7 Modelling

4.8 Simulation

4.9 Level of research

4.10 Summary

References

Chapter 5: Hypotheses

5.1 Essentials of a valid hypothesis

5.2 Roles of hypotheses

5.3 Objective testing of hypotheses

5.4 Role of sampling

5.5 Common statistical measures

5.6 Null hypotheses

5.7 Validities

5.8 Summary

References

Chapter 6: Data Collection

6.1 Data requirements

6.2 Collecting data from respondents

6.3 Sampling

6.4 Sample size

6.5 Scales of measurement

6.6 Obtaining data

6.7 Response styles

6.8 Summary

References

Chapter 7: Data Analysis

7.1 Analysing data

7.2 Plotting data

7.3 Statistical methods

7.4 Non-parametric tests

7.5 Parametric tests

7.6 Other analytical techniques

7.7 Summary

References

Chapter 8: Ethics in Research

8.1 The concepts of morals and ethics

8.2 Research ethics

8.3 Data analysis, intellectual property and data protection

8.4 Summary

References

Part III: Reporting the Results

Chapter 9: Results, Inferences and Conclusions

9.1 Requirements for valid results

9.2 Potential sources of error

9.3 Results

9.4 Conclusions

9.5 Summary

References

Chapter 10: Reports and Presentations

10.1 Report production

10.2 Communication

10.3 Contents of the report

10.4 Oral presentation

10.5 Summary

Index

End User License Agreement

Pages

iv

xi

xiii

xiv

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

160

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

193

194

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

205

206

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

232

233

234

235

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

261

263

264

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

276

277

278

279

280

281

282

283

284

285

286

287

288

289

290

291

292

293

294

295

296

297

298

299

300

301

302

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I: Producing a Proposal

Begin Reading

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1: Introduction

Figure 1.1 ‘Causality chain’ between variables (see also Figure 4.1, p. 105).

Figure 1.2 Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data.

Figure 1.3 Aristotle's inductive–deductive method

Figure 1.4 Depiction of the approach to the advancement of knowledge, as advocated by Galileo

Figure 1.5 Experimental design.

Chapter 2: Topic for Study

Figure 2.1 Pareto distribution applied to the cost of a construction project.

Figure 2.2 The process of refining a topic for research.

Figure 2.3 Development of aim and objectives, and proposition and hypothesis.

Chapter 3: Initial Research

Figure 3.1 The research process (after Bryman and Cramer 1994). It may be advisable to carry out these activities in the reverse sequence to that shown: identify the population and possible ‘sample(s)’ and select and design the survey(s) or experiment(s), then select the ‘sample(s)’ to be used (from theoretical and practical considerations).

Figure 3.2 The research process (after Bryman & Cramer, 1994).

Figure 3.3 The modelling process (developed from Taha 1971; Checkland 1989).

Chapter 4: Approaches to Empirical Work

Figure 4.1 Types of variables and relationships between them. (See also Baron and Kenny 1986; Drenth 1998 for more details.)

Figure 4.2 The modelling process (developed from Mihram 1972).

Chapter 5: Hypotheses

Figure 5.1 Data collection

Figure 5.2 Bias and precision

Figure 5.3 Normal distribution (probability density function).

Chapter 6: Data Collection

Figure 6.1 Simple model of an information system.

Figure 6.2 System boundaries.

Figure 6.3 Types of interview.

Figure 6.4 Breadth versus depth in ‘question-based’ studies.

Figure 6.5 Development of a multi-item scale.

Chapter 7: Data Analysis

Figure 7.1 Frequency distribution ().

Figure 7.2 Bar diagram (relative frequencies may not sum to 1.0 due to rounding).

Figure 7.3 Frequency polygon or

histogram

.

Figure 7.4 ‘More than’ and ‘less than’ ogives.

Figure 7.5 A model of project leadership.

Chapter 8: Ethics in Research

Figure 8.1 Model of organisational ethics (

source:

Liu

et al

. (2004)).

Chapter 9: Results, Inferences and Conclusions

Figure 9.1 Potential sources of error

Chapter 10: Reports and Presentations

Figure 10.1 Communication system.

List of Tables

Chapter 1: Introduction

Table 1.1 Requirements of different research styles/strategies.

Chapter 3: Initial Research

Table 3.1 Polarities and assumptions adopted by researchers.

Table 3.2 Realism and constructivism in organisational contexts (derived from Mir and Watson 2001).

Chapter 4: Approaches to Empirical Work

Table 4.1 Types of research.

Table 4.2 Empirical design.

Chapter 6: Data Collection

Table 6.1 Quasi-experiment models.

Table 6.2 Scales of measurement and data analyses.

Chapter 7: Data Analysis

Table 7.1 Hypothesis testing.

Research Methods for Construction

Fourth Edition

Richard Fellows

School of Civil and Building EngineeringLoughborough UniversityUK

Anita Liu

Department of Real Estate and Construction The University of Hong Kong Hongkong

This edition first published 2015

© 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Registered office:

John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom.

Editorial office:

9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, United Kingdom.

The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom.

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.

The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author(s) have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fellows, Richard, 1948-

Research methods for construction / Richard Fellows, Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, and Anita Liu, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University.–Third edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-91574-5 (pbk.)

1. Building–Research–Methodology. I. Liu, Anita. II. Title.

TH213.5.F45 2015

624.072–dc23

2015008904

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

About the Authors

Professor Richard Fellows, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University

Richard Fellows is Professor of Construction Business Management at Loughborough University, United Kingdom; previously, he was a Professor in the Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, and Professor of Culture in Construction at Glasgow Caledonian University, United Kingdom. He graduated from the University of Aston and has worked as a quantity surveyor for several major contractors. Richard has a PhD from the University of Reading, has taught at a number of universities in the United Kingdom and other countries and was co-ordinator for research in construction management for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the United Kingdom. His research interests concern economics, contracts and law and management of people in construction – especially, cultural issues as drivers of behaviour and performance. He was a founder and, for many years, was joint coordinator of the CIB group, W112 – ‘Culture in Construction’. Richard has published widely in books, journals and international conferences and is qualified as a mediator.

Professor Anita Liu, Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong

Anita Liu graduated from the University of Reading. She returned to Hong Kong to work in a quantity surveying consultancy, for the Hong Kong government, and for a major contractor before moving into academia. She obtained an MSc and a PhD from the University of Hong Kong. She has obtained many research grants from different awarding bodies, including ESRC (UK) and RGC (Hong Kong) projects, and has presented papers at many international research conferences. She publishes widely in a variety of leading journals, is a regular reviewer for international journals and research awarding bodies and is a member of several editorial boards. Anita has been chairperson of the Quantity Surveying Division of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors and a member of committees and boards in various professional institutions in China and in the United Kingdom. Anita was chair professor of Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying at Loughborough University. Currently, she is Professor in the Department of Real Estate and Construction at The University of Hong Kong and joint co-coordinator of CIB W112: ‘Culture in Construction’.

Preface

We are very grateful to all our colleagues and researchers who have taken the trouble to provide us with feedback on previous volumes; that feedback has been extremely useful in helping us to amend and improve the content and presentation for this fourth edition of our book. Our own research has continued to inform us and so, the entire book has been scrutinised for scope, rigour and content as well as for ease of comprehension and use.

Research, itself, is a field which is developing and evolving constantly. Philosophical and methodological preferences and debates ebb and flow along the pattern of the dialectic triad. Mixed and multi-method approaches have become popular due to their more inclusive/comprehensive scope. Methods and techniques are developing and new ones are emerging. IT plays an ever greater role in research in a wide variety of ways.

Given the extent and speed of developments, it is hardly surprising that debates and concerns also proliferate. Ethical issues concerning collection, processing, storage, use and disposal of data are addressed in Chapter 8 – which considers the various reports, legislation, codes of practice and requirements of ethical committees and reviews. Pressures of time and funding to ‘do the study’ (the empirical work) all too often lead to a lack of attention to how the study should be done and why. Attention should be given to the philosophical approach adopted (ontology, epistemology) and the consequent methodology – all require rationale/justification. Methods available should be scrutinised for appropriateness, both academically and practically, again, requiring justification for use in context. That is a fundamental theme of this book – to facilitate a researcher's informed and justified selection of a philosophical paradigm and, thence, of appropriate methods to execute the research.

A particular, and vitally important, component is the critical study of theory and literature – usually, a major process to be undertaken early in the research to inform the researcher(s) and, hence, the study. Failure to undertake a thorough review of theory and literature will leave the research poorly informed and with important ‘holes’ and duplications; consequently, the essential discussion of the results and drawing of conclusions will be fundamentally flawed. (In grounded theory, the debate is not whether to study theory and literature but when to do so.)

In a fairly nascent field of research, such as construction, the need for demonstrated rigour is paramount. Methods and techniques from other disciplines and domains are adopted – that requires care and rigour in itself to ensure that suitable methods are selected and employed validly and correctly (e.g. avoiding the ecological fallacy in researching culture topics; appropriate uses of Likert response formats and of Likert scales, and statistical tests which are valid for them – see Chapter 6).

Thus, it could be tempting for us to be prescriptive over how to conduct studies, what methods to use, and so on. We have consciously and strongly resisted that temptation in order to preserve presentation and discussion of the rich array of methodologies and methods available – and appropriate in differing contexts and for different topics. Rather, we have incorporated the main threads of advice and debate, often drawn from the vast body of highly authoritative research papers and books, to succinctly inform researchers of the issues and so, to enable them to make their own, informed selections for achievement of validity and reliability in their particular topics and contexts (which is, itself, a major intellectual component of research).

Finally, our thanks go to the many colleagues and friends who have helped and supported us. In particular, Madeleine Metcalfe and Harriet Konishi at Wiley-Blackwell, and all the production staff, who have been so kind, helpful and understanding in our endeavours to complete this fourth edition.

Anita LiuRichard FellowsHong Kong, July 2014

Part IProducing a Proposal

Chapter 1Introduction

Learning Objective

The objectives of this chapter are to:

introduce the

concept of research

;

provide awareness of different

classifications of research

;

outline the essentials of

theories and paradigms

;

discuss the various

research styles

;

introduce

quantitative and qualitative approaches

;

consider

where

,

and how

,

to begin

.

1.1 The concept of research

Chambers English Dictionary defines research as:

a careful search

investigation

systematic investigation towards increasing the sum of knowledge.

For many people, the prospect of embarking on a research project is a daunting one. However, especially for people who are associated with a project-oriented industry, such as property development, building design, construction or facilities management, familiarity with the nature of projects and their management is a significant advantage. Dr Martin Barnes, an ex-chairperson of the Association of Project Managers (APM), has described a project as a task or an activity which has a beginning (start), a middle and an end that involves a process which leads to an output (product/solution). Despite the situation that much research is carried out as part of a long-term ‘rolling’ programme, each individual package of research is an entity which is complete in itself, while contributing to the overall programme.

Indeed, any work which assists in the advancement of knowledge, whether of society, a group or an individual, involves research; it will involve enquiry and learning also.

1.1.1 Research: a careful search/investigation

Research can be considered to be a ‘voyage of discovery’, whether anything is discovered or not. In fact, it is highly likely that some discovery will result because discovery can concern the process of investigation as well as the ‘technical subject’ (the topic of investigation). Even if no new knowledge is apparent, the investigation may lend further support for existing theory. What is discovered depends on the question(s) which the research addresses, the patterns and techniques of searching, the location and subject material investigated, the analyses carried out and, importantly, reflection by the researcher on the results of the analyses in the context of the theory and literature and methodology/methods employed. The knowledge and abilities of researchers and their associates are important in executing the investigative work and, perhaps more especially, in the production of results, discussion of them and the drawing of conclusions. Being open-minded and as objective as possible is vital for good research.

1.1.2 Research: contribution to knowledge

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) defines research as ‘…any form of disciplined inquiry that aims to contribute to a body of knowledge or theory’ (ESRC, 2007). That definition demonstrates that the inquiry must be designed and structured appropriately and that it is the intent of the inquiry which is important (to distinguish from casual inquiries) rather than the outcome per se.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1995) provides a more extensive definition of research as ‘the systematic investigation into and study of materials, sources and so on in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions’. Here the emphasis lies on determining facts in order to reach new conclusions – hence, new knowledge. The issue of ‘facts’ is not as clear, philosophically speaking, as is commonly assumed, and will be considered later.

The dictionary continues: ‘an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts and so on by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation’. Here there is added emphasis on the method(s) of study; the importance of being scientific and critical is reinforced.

Therefore, research comprises what (facts and conclusions) and how (scientific; critical) components. Being critical, even sceptical, rather than merely accepting, is vital; evidence to support assertions, use of methods, production of findings and so on is essential. ‘…critical analysis questions the authority and objective necessity of the normative framework that is taken for granted…also challenges the adequacy of…accounts…’ (Willmott 1993: p. 522). Further, it is concerned to ‘…situate the development and popularity of ideas and practices…in the material and historical contexts of their emergence and application…’ (: p. 521).