Research Methodology in the Built Environment

Built environment students are not always familiar with the range of different research approaches they could be using for their projects. Whether you are undertaking a postgraduate doctoral programme or facing an undergraduate or masters dissertation, this book provides general advice, as well as 13 detailed case studies from 16 universities in 7 countries, to help you get to grips with quantitative and qualitative methods, mixed methods of data collection, action research, and more.

Vian Ahmed is a Professor at the University of Salford and was previously director of postgraduate research. Her teaching expertise is in construction management and IT at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has broad research interests, covering skills culture and people in construction, for example: e-learning in construction, construction IT for large organisations and SMEs, ontology development for construction education, construction management and organisation readiness. Alex Opoku is currently the Director for the Research Centre for Sustainability and Resilient Infrastructure & Communities (SaRIC) at the London South Bank University. He is a Senior Lecturer in Quantity Surveying and the Course Director for the MSc Quantity Surveying programme at the school of Built Environment & Architecture. Zeeshan Aziz is leader of the Construction Management MSc at the University of Salford and also supervises undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral research projects. His own research interests include intelligent construction collaboration, intelligent integrated sustainable construction and disaster resilient infrastructure.

Introduction Part One: The Thought Process of Research Journey 1. Getting ready for your research: setting the scene 2. When more does not mean better: Selecting a Research Methodology and Methods 3. Choosing appropriate Research Methods Part Two: Quantitative Research 4. A Survey of Building Surveying Education: The graduate voice 5. Comparing experience through visual behaviour in physical and virtual environments 6. Using quantitative approaches to enhance construction performance through data captured from mobile devices Part Three: Qualitative Research 7. A theoretical framework for conserving cultural values of heritage buildings in Malaysia from the perspective of facilities management 8. Using case-based methods in construction research with complementarities Part Four: Mixed Methods Research 9. Studentification and the housing needs of international students in Johannesburg: a survey 10. Enabling Building Information Modelling capable small and medium enterprises 11. Learning from bioclimatic desert architecture: a case study of Ghadames, Libya Part Five: Action Research 12. Embedding Action Research in the built environment - an action approach 13. Information systems to support planning and decision making in construction organizations using action research methodology Part Six: Grounded Theory Research 14. The application of grounded theory methodology in built environment research 15. Grounded theory style analysis in action: utilising multi-layer methods in developing built environment response to social conflicts in Indonesia Part Seven: Design Science Research 16. Design Science methodology for developing a learning object repository for construction