代写BUIL 1305 Research Methods for the Built Environment
BUIL 1305
Research Methods for the Built Environment
Week 5 – Research Strategies
Nick Blismas
Acknowledgments
• These course materials have history! a long and varied
– If owlloouwlidn glik leec ttou raecrksn:owledge the contributions of the
– A/Professor Malik Kahlfan
– A/Professor David Higgins
– A/Professor Tayyab Maqsood
– Dr Rebecca Yang
– Dr Guinevere Gilbert
– Dr Ehsan Gharaie
– Dr Mary Myla Andamon
– Andrew Carre
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Lecture Programme (Subject to change)
Week Lecture Topic What does it really mean?
1 19th July Introduction to RM Curious about something?
2 26th July Relevance of research So what? Is it a problem?
3 2nd Aug Reviewing the literature What have others done, and how do they
see the problem?
4 9th Aug CASE EXAMPLE: Housebuilding How to develop a question and use the
literature
5 16th Aug Research Strategies What needs to be measured or collected?
Why?
6 23nd Aug Data Collection How do we collect the data?
30th Aug MID-TERM BREAK NO LECTURES/TUTORIALS
7 6th Sept Research Ethics Is what we are doing right?
8 13th Sept Quantitative data analysis Playing around with numbers
9 20th Sept Qualitative data analysis Playing around with words
10 27th Sept Modelling Pretending things are real
11 4th Oct Communicating research Telling others what you’ve found, if
anything!
12 11th Oct Writing a research proposal You probably won’t pitch-up
Tutorial Programme (Subject to change)
Week Commence Topic Submission
1 18th July Provide 3 topic ideas for research areas that
interest you. Tute 1 – 5%
2 25th July Provide evidence of industry relevance Tute 2 – 5%
3 1st Aug Structure the review Tute 3 – 5%
4 8th Aug Help with literature review -
5 15th Aug Structuring a literature review
6 22nd Aug Research design Tute 4 – 5%
29th Aug MID-TERM BREAK Minor Assign – 10%
7 5th Sept Ethics risk assessment Tute 5 – 5%
8 12th Sept Quantitative data analysis Tute 6 – 5%
9 19th Sept Qualitative data analysis Tute 7 – 5%
10 26th Sept Methods outline Tute 8 – 5%
11 3rd Oct Proposal workshop -
12 10th Oct Proposal workshop -
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Course Assessment
You must obtain 50% overall to pass this course.
There will be no deferred assessments. Only medical certificates or other
significant personal reasons will be accepted.
Type Submission Date Open DUE Value
Tutorial Tute 1 - Topics 22 July 12:00 26 July 12:00 5%
Tutorial Tute 2 – Evidence 29 July 12:00 9 August 12:00 5%
Tutorial Tute 3 – Review Structure 5 August 12:00 16 August 12:00 5%
Assignment Minor Assign – Literature Review 19 August 12:00 29 August 23:59 10%
SOME SCENARIOS Lecture 5 – Research Strategies
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Scenario 1
• An analysis of the productivity of volume
housebuilders in Victoria
Scenario 2
• An analysis of the productivity of the IT services
staff at RMIT
• Satisfaction with IT services at RMIT
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Scenario 3
• What is the relationship between commercial
office rents and green building ratings?
Wikipedia.org (2016)
STRATEGIES & METHODS Lecture 5 – Research Strategies
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InHteisrptorreitciavel - Qualitative Correlational Experimental
SMimoduelalltiinogn/ arguLmogeinctaalt ion CasMei xsetuddy/
Interviews Questionnaires Observation Focus Group Artifacts
aCnoanltyesnist Diaries Simulations …
Strategies, methodology, designs,
methods…
Methods StrMaetethgoy/d Doleosgiygn/
Surveys
Interviews
Workshops
Observations
People
Documents
Projects
sCtausdey
Data
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The techniques and
procedures to gather and
analyse data
The strategy, plan of
action, process and
design behind the use of
a particular method
Research methods
Research methodology
Strategies, methodology, designs,
methods…
Research Designs/Strategies
Bryman (2004)
• iInntteerrvveennttiioonn – non-
• dFeivseig mnsain research
– Experimental
– Cross-sectional / survey
– Longitudinal
– Case study
– Comparative
Groat and Wang (2013)
• Seven main strategies
– Irnetseeraprrcehtive-Historical
– Qualitative research
– Correlational research
– Experimental research
– rSeimseualarctihon and modelling
– Logical argumentation
– cCoamseb isnteudd isetsra atengdi es
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Research Methods/ Data Collection
Techniques
• Structured & unstructured interviews
• Self administered (or completion) questionnaire
• Participant observation
• Structured observation
• Archival records & documentation
• Focus groups
• Delphi
• Other methods (simulation, physical artefacts etc.)
Other ways of categorising methods…
Type of content • Behavioural
• Attitudinal
contentF coorlmle cttheadt • Quantitative
• Qualitative
Originmaelitthy oodf
• Innovative
• Adapted
• Traditional
Primary purpose
• Exploratory
• Generative
• Evaluative
reseRaorcleh eorf
• Participatory
• Observational
• Self-reporting
Adapted from: Martin & Hanington (2013)
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WHY IS DESIGN
IMPORTANT?
Lecture 5 – Research Strategies
Criteria to evaluate social research (Bryman,
2004)
• Reliability: are measurements consistent?
• Replication: is procedure enough for study to be re peexaptleadin?ed clearly
• Validity: how accurate are findings?
– uCnodnesrtlryuinctg v caolindciteyp: tdso? measures really represent the
– Internal validity: did A cause B?
– External validity: can results be generalized?
– pEacrotilcoigpiacanlt sv’a elivdeitryy:d aarye lifvinedsi?ngs meaningful to
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Alternative criteria to evaluate qualitative
research (Bryman, 2004) • Reliability and replication quantitative criteria - acco culnatiambeildit yto be
• Lincoln & Guba (1985):
– ‘Trustworthiness’ as qualitative criterion:
– Credibility (IV) – how believable are the findings?
– Transferability (EV) – do findings apply to other contexts?
– tDimepeesn?dability (Rel) – are findings likely to apply at other
– Confirmability (Obj) – intrusion of investigators value?
• Hammersley (1992):
– ‘Relevance’ - study’s contribution to the field
Internal validity
• Adequacy of samples
• Representativeness of samples
• tAhpepyr omperaiastuerninegss w ohfa rte tsheeayr cahre in ssutrpupmoseendts t (oa re measure?)
• Correct administration of research instruments
• Adequacy of data processing
• Correct data analysis
• Appropriate interpretation
• Justifiable conclusions
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External validity
• Internal validity must exist
• To what extent can the conclusions a sample, be generalised to a popul adtriaown?n from
• rAersee tahrec hm pertohboldesm u?sed appropriate to that type of
• pRreopbeleamta boifl ietyt honf omgeraapshuirce mmeetnhtso?d s()validity
What you need to consider
• What primary data will you need for your
research projects?
• Where will you get it from?
• How will you obtain it?
• How will you ensure internal validity?
• What external validity will be obtainable?
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What you need to consider
• What secondary information will you need for
your research projects?
• What are the sources?
• How will you access the information?
• How will you assess its validity?
代写BUIL 1305 Research Methods for the Built Environment
7 Research strategies to consider
1. Interpretive-Historical research
2. Qualitative research
3. Correlational research
4. Experimental research
5. Simulation and modelling research
6. Logical argumentation
7. Case studies and combined strategies
Groat and Wang deals with all these
– We will look closely at 5 (in bold) of the 7
1. Interpretive Historical Research
• History into vie wre ssoemarecthh ibnrgin fgrosm the past
• Interpretation
• Narrative
• “sIct hiso lfarorsmh ihpi sthtoarti cthael world hofa fso toatkneonte tsh,e s oauprpcaer atus rbeibfeliroegnrcaepsh,y a, nwdh ich validate what is stated.” (Groat and Wang 2013, p.194)
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Tactical concerns in history research
(Groat and Wang 2013, p.195)
2. Qualitative research
• “embracing interpretation, meaning in context,
interaction and the quality of the commonplace”. (Dana Cuff quoted in Groat 2013 and Wang, p. 215)
• Qualitative researchers study things in their
natural settings, attempting to make sense of or
interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings
people bring to them.
• Open ended questions
– Exploring
– Responses shape questions as understanding grows
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Key components of qualitative research
• Emphasis on natural settings
• A focus on meaning interpretation and
• Am afokceu sse onns eh oowf t hreesirp oowndne nts circumstances
• The use of multiple tactics
– Structured interviews
• Significance of inductive logic
– dRaetsae iasr ccohl lqeucetesdtions evolve as
– It is NOT exclusively inductive
Other features of qualitative research
(Groat and Wang 2013, p.223)
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Tactics employed in qualitative research
Data Collection
(Groat and Wang 2013, p.244)
Tools and techniques
• Interview plans
• Recording
– Transcripts
• Coding
– Looking for patterns,
themes
• Visualising
NVIVO for Windows
By OSR
Available for students at
RMIT
My Desktop
(Groat and Wang 2013, p. 250)
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3. Correlational research
• rSeelaetkiosn tsoh iidpesn btiefytw een variables
– oOuftteconm seeesk bsa tsoe pdr eodni ctht eth e observation of key variables
• For example
– Ibdeetnwteifeyn t hteh er eulasetio onfs ah ispp ace saenadt ipnagr,a omr eatcecres sssu tcoh as fsaumnosuhsi nsteu d(yW oilfl iNamew W Yhoyrtke o’su tdoor sWpaancge s2 i0s1 d3e, spc. r2ib6e3 )in Groat and
Another example
• Relating commercial
office rents to green
building ratings
– (Eichholtz, Kok & Quigley
2010)
“The results suggest that an otherwise identical
commercial building with an Energy Star certification will
rent for about 3 percent more per square foot; the
difference in effective rent is estimated to be about 7
percent. The increment to the selling price may be as
much as 16 percent.” (Eichholtz, Kok & Quigley 2010, p.2508)
(Eichholtz, Kok & Quigley 2010, p.2503)
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Relationship between timing of risk control
decisions and quality of risk control (US and
Australian data)
39
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%
Mean HOC score
Percentage of risks controlled in the pre-construction stage
Case HOC
Linear (Case HOC)
(r=.737, p=.000).
(r=.737, p=.000).
Tools and tactics
Collecting data • Deciding what to measure
– Often easy for economic variables
– Can be difficult for spatial variables
– Use of a space
– Activity on a construction site
• Questionnaires
– Structured collection study participants of data from
• Observation
– Time-lapse photography
– Making notes
• Key considerations
– Representativeness
– Cwiadne rI ceoxtnetnedxt ?my findings to a
Used with permission Lyrian Daniel 2016
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Analysing the data
• Use of graphs
– Graphical representation of data
– Plotting variables can identify relatio inns ah iXpsY chart
• Use of statistics
– dSetavteislotipc aml toodoelsls can help
– Common tools
– Linear regression
– Multivariate linear regression
• Software
– MS Excel
– IBM SPSS
– Tableau
Problem!
Correlation analysis does
not deal effectively with
causation
4. Experimental research
• Defining characteristics:
• The use of an independent variable
– (Tmhea nvipaurilaabteled )is b oyf ttehne creosnetraorlclehde r
– cFloimr eaxtea mchpalem: bTehre temperature in a
• oTuhtec ommeea svuarreiambelenst of one or more
– Variables of interest are measured
– For example, thermal sensation
– “Am I hot, cold or neutral”
• Focus on causality
– Isolating causes
• cEoxnpfeinriemde tnot athl em leatbh o(bdust aarree nhoatr der to execute in the field)
Building Services Engineer 1973
JIHVE 1970
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Experimental design
• ‘Tests to investigate any relationship(s) between carried out and the resultant outcomes’ (Fellows &th eL uai,c t1iv9i9tie4s)
• dTeop eesntdaebnlist hv acraiaubslaels r e(Blartyiomnasnh,i p2 0b0e4tw)een independent and
• IV manipulated; all other variables held constant
• gSruobujepcsts randomly assigned to experimental and control
• Control Group – no experimentation
• Rarely used in social/organisational research
– Impractical
– Ethical ‘minefield’
– Expensive
Control Group
Experimental Group
Experiment
NO Experiment
Random assignment
Sample
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Multiple baseline experimental design
A Superintendent
Foremen
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
A B C D
Time (Months)
A. Baseline conditions
B. Supervisor training
intervention
C. Supervisor evaluation and
feedback intervention
D. Removal of feedback
Leading hands
B C D
A B C D
A compelling idea
…with some problems.
• “the best method, indeed the only fully compelling method of establishing causation is to
conduct a carefully designed experiment in which the effects of possible luring variables are
controlled. To experiment means to actively change {x} to observe the response of {y}.” (Groat
and Wang 2013, p.345)
• Experimental methods require ‘reduction’
– The method requires that complex systems must be represented by simple parameters
– Imagine trying to prove causation of ‘Good management’ to ‘employee productivity’
– How does one control ‘good management’
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5. Simulation research
• Copying reality
– Creating worlds in which experiments can be undertaken
• Commonly used in conjunction with the experimental approach
– Controlling independent variables, and measuring output variables is easier
in simulated worlds
• Challenges:
– How accurately does the simulation represent reality?
– What’s missing from the simulation?
– What simplification has been made?
6. Logical argumentation
• Thinking through a problem
– Outlining principles
– Defining relationships
– Extrapolating outcomes
• Undertaking the ‘thought experiment’
Groat and Wang 2013, p.385
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7. Case studies and combined strategies
• “A case study is an empirical investigates a contemporary pinhqeuniorym tehnaot n within its real life context…” (Robert Yin quoted in Groat and Wang 2013, p.418)
• Key attributes
– cFoonctuesx tosn single or multiple cases studied in real life
– Capacity to explain causal links
– The importance of theory development
– A reliance on multiple sources of evidence
– The power to generalise theory
• qCuaasnet istatutidviee sd actaan be based on qualitative data or
Case studies
Groat and Wang 2013, p. 441
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Select a number of
Cases to study
Multiple observations in the Cases - compare
Rival
Propositions
Propositional
Framework
(Theoretical
Template)
In vivo
2013, Architectural
Research Methods, 2nd edn, Wiley, Chichester.
Martin, B. & Hanington, B. (2012) Universal
Methods of Design, Rockport Publishers, Beverly,
MA.
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BUIL 1305
Research Methods for the Built Environment
Nick Blismas
代写BUIL 1305 Research Methods for the Built Environment
代写BUIL 1305 Research Methods for the Built Environment
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