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This book provides guidance on research methodologies and methods with particular attention to applications in construction. Three main sections - producing a proposal, executing the research and reporting the results - discuss the main issues in research and examine the primary approaches, both qualitative and quantitative.
List of contents
Preface to Third Edition .
Preface to Second Edition .
Part 1 Producing a Proposal .
1 Introduction .
The concept of research.
Classifications of research.
Theories and paradigms.
Research styles.
Quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Where to begin.
Summary.
References.
2 Topic for Study .
Selection of a topic.
Writing the proposal.
Summary.
References.
Part 2 Executing the Research .
3 Initial Research .
The research process.
Initial search.
Assembling the theoretical framework.
Philosophy and methodology.
Theoretical models and constructs.
Proper referencing.
Summary.
References.
4 Approaches to Empirical Work .
Role of experience.
Research design.
Qualitative approaches.
Quantitative approaches.
Experimental design (including experiments and quasi-experiments).
Case study research.
Modelling.
Simulation.
Summary.
References.
5 Hypotheses .
Essentials of a valid hypothesis.
Roles of hypotheses.
Objective testing of hypotheses.
Role of sampling.
Common statistical measures.
Null hypotheses.
Validities.
Summary.
References.
6 Data Collection .
Data requirements.
Collecting data from respondents.
Sampling.
Sample size.
Scales of measurement.
Obtaining data.
Summary.
References.
7 Data Analysis .
Analysing data.
Plotting data.
Statistical methods.
Non-parametric tests.
Parametric tests.
Other analytical techniques.
Summary.
References.
8 Ethics in Research .
The concepts of morals and ethics.
Research ethics.
Data analysis, intellectual property and data protection.
Summary.
References.
Part 3 Reporting the Results .
9 Results, Inferences and Conclusions .
Requirements for valid results.
Potential sources of error.
Reliability.
Results.
Inferences.
Conclusions.
Summary.
References.
10 Reports and Presentations .
Report production.
Communication.
Contents of the report.
Oral presentation.
Summary.
Index
