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.
Table of Content
Preface to Third Edition viii
Preface to Second Edition x
Part 1 Producing a Proposal 1
1 Introduction 3
The concept of research 3
Classifications of research 7
Theories and paradigms 12
Research styles 20
Quantitative and qualitative approaches 26
Where to begin 30
Summary 32
References 32
2 Topic for Study 35
Selection of a topic 35
Writing the proposal 42
Summary 50
References 50
Part 2 Executing the Research 51
3 Initial Research 53
The research process 53
Initial search 60
Assembling the theoretical framework 66
Philosophy and methodology 67
Theoretical models and constructs 73
Proper referencing 77
Summary 77
References 78
4 Approaches to Empirical Work 81
Role of experience 81
Research design 83
Qualitative approaches 91
Quantitative approaches 97
Experimental design (including experiments and quasi-experiments) 102
Case study research 110
Modelling 114
Simulation 118
Summary 121
References 121
5 Hypotheses 125
Essentials of a valid hypothesis 125
Roles of hypotheses 129
Objective testing of hypotheses 130
Role of sampling 131
Common statistical measures 133
Null hypotheses 141
Validities 143
Summary 145
References 146
6 Data Collection 147
Data requirements 147
Collecting data from respondents 150
Sampling 159
Sample size 163
Scales of measurement 167
Obtaining data 175
Summary 183
References 183
7 Data Analysis 186
Analysing data 186
Plotting data 191
Statistical methods 194
Non-parametric tests 194
Parametric tests 202
Other analytical techniques 225
Summary 242
References 242
8 Ethics in Research 246
The concepts of morals and ethics 246
Research ethics 249
Data analysis, intellectual property and data protection 256
Summary 259
References 259
Part 3 Reporting the Results 261
9 Results, Inferences and Conclusions 263
Requirements for valid results 263
Potential sources of error 264
Reliability 265
Results 266
Inferences 270
Conclusions 276
Summary 279
References 279
10 Reports and Presentations 281
Report production 281
Communication 282
Contents of the report 284
Oral presentation 293
Summary 294
Index 295
About the author
Professor Richard Fellows, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University
Richard Fellows is Professor of Construction Business Management at Loughborough University, UK; 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, UK.?He graduated from the University of Aston and has worked as a quantity surveyor for several major contractors.?Richard has a Ph D from the University of Reading, has taught at a number of universities in UK and other countries and was co-ordinator for research in construction management for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the UK.?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 Ph D 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 UK. 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’.
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