Research Methods for Construction

by Fellows, Richard F.; Liu, Anita M. M.

• ISBN13: 9781405177900
• ISBN10: 140517790X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-08-25
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This is one of the few books to provide guidance on research formulation, methodologies, and methods specifically for construction students.The third edition has been updated throughout and extended in scope to cover many areas of concern in quantitative and qualitative research, including research ethics.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. Research Methods in Construction will help you instil rigour into your problem-solving, and 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.

Author Biography

Richard Fellows is a Professor in the Department of Real Estate and Construction, University of Hong Kong and joint co-ordinator of CIB W112: Culture in Construction. He graduated from the University of Aston and has worked as a quantity surveyor for several major contractors. He has a PhD from the University of Reading, was co-ordinator for research in construction management for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the UK and has extensive experience in research and teaching in many countries.

Anita Liu graduated from the University of Reading and returned to Hong Kong to work in industry, quantity surveying consultancy and for the Hong Kong government. She has carried out many research projects and gained her PhD from the University of Hong Kong. She is currently Professor of Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying in the Department of Civil & Building Engineering at Loughborough University.

Table of Contents

Producing a proposal	p. 1
Introduction	p. 3
Topic for study	p. 35
Executing the research	p. 51
Initial research	p. 53
Approaches to empirical work	p. 81
Hypotheses	p. 125
Data collection	p. 147
Data analysis	p. 186
Ethics in research	p. 246
Reporting the results	p. 261
Results, inferences and conclusions	p. 263
Reports and presentations	p. 281
Index	p. 295
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