Dissertation Research and Writing for Built Environment Students

Shamil G. Naoum

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781351203890
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Architektur
• Subtopic: Architektur Allgemein

Dissertation Research and Writing for Built Environment Students is a step-by-step guide to get students through their final year research project. Trusted and developed over three previous editions, the new fourth edition shows you how to select a dissertation topic, write a proposal, conduct a literature review, select the research approach, gather the data, analyse and present the information and ultimately produce a well-written dissertation.

The book simplifies dissertation research and writing into a process involving a sequence of learnable activities and divides the process into three parts.

Part One covers the necessary groundwork, including: identifying the problem, writing a proposal and reviewing the literature.

Part Two covers the research design and includes: approaches and techniques for data collection and constructing and sampling a questionnaire.

Part Three covers: measurement of data, analysis of data with SPSS, structuring and writing the whole dissertation, and supervision and assessment.

This new edition is packed with updated examples and research samples, making this the ideal resource for students involved in research in built environment subjects such as construction management, construction project management, facilities management, real estate, building surveying, quantity surveying and civil engineering.

Part I

Preparing the ground and reviewing the literature

1 Introduction

This book serves as a guide and learning support document in the preparation of a dissertation for honours undergraduate students and for students undertaking dissertations on taught master’s degrees. The book focuses specifically on built environment subjects with a special emphasis on construction-related degree programmes. It covers issues such as the selection of a dissertation topic, writing a proposal, conducting a literature review, selecting the research approach, devising research instruments, collecting information, analysing and presenting information and producing a well-researched and written dissertation.

The meaning of research

To set the scene for this book, I begin by defining the meaning of ‘research’. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines research as ‘careful search or inquiry; endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc. by scientific study of a subject; course of critical investigation’ (Soanes and Stevenson, 2004). From this, we can conclude that the word ‘research’ may be used interchangeably with ‘inquiry’, ‘study’ or ‘investigation’. And yet something more is implied: the inquiry, study or investigation must be conducted in a careful, scientific and/or critical manner. Others have added ‘methodical’ and ‘systematic’ to this list of adjectives. It does not really matter which combination of words is chosen (systematic inquiry or critical investigation) so long as both words are kept clearly in mind.

In addition to a specific method of inquiry, a research project has to have an aim or objective. In general terms, the aim of all research is to expand knowledge and develop a product or a message. But we do not simply want a list of facts. A good piece of research will focus on certain aspects of a topic. It will seek to answer specific questions, solve a particular problem or test a hypothesis. The issue(s) to be addressed must be clearly stated at the outset in the objective(s) of the research proposal.

Rationale for conducting a dissertation

The rationale for including a dissertation as a major component of the BSc and MSc courses is that it provides for the development of intellectual skills of a kind that is not fully facilitated on the other components or modules of the teaching course. The dissertation requirement accords with the educational philosophy of the BSc and MSc courses in that it requires students to take responsibility for their own learning, specifying and defining the task and defining the learning outcomes. Therefore, the dissertation provides the opportunity for you to undertake an independent piece of research, investigating in depth a subject in which you have a particular interest and which is of your own selection. Normally, you will submit a dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words and sometimes 20,000 depending on the requirement of your university.

There are two main phases. First, you propose a subject area and, during the course of the lecture sessions, develop a dissertation proposal, which is submitted for approval. Second, after approval, you are assigned to work under the supervision of a selected member of the academic staff and submit a dissertation according to the submission dates specified by your university.

Aim of conducting a dissertation

To undertake an independent piece of research of a demanding nature on a subject related to a particular discipline and then write an academic report. It has a beginning (proposal and literature), a middle (research design and methodology) and an end (analysis of findings and conclusions). The purpose is to deliver a ‘product’ or a ‘message’ that has an impact on other researchers and the industry as a whole, such as devising a new methodology, reaching a solution to a particular problem, developing a theoretical model, designing a particular system, delivering a guideline and the like.

Objectives of the dissertation

1. To enable students to investigate, in depth, a subject in which they have a particular interest and is, usually, of their own selection.
2. To provide students with an opportunity to stretch their intellectual and technical skills.
3. To encourage students to develop new forms of analysis, conclusions and policies which may make an original contribution to the knowledge in the field of study concerned.
4. To encourage both clarity and depth of thought in that the project involves analysis of a problem and the development of a logical sequence of ideas.
5. To provide students with an opportunity to learn how to acquire detailed information on a particular issue. It will involve students in the use of bibliographies, libraries and library reference systems. It will involve their using primary sources of data such as a census and the collection of new data through interviews, surveys and archival research.
6. To identify and critically analyse issues with reference to relevant arguments and evidence.
7. To identify and critically analyse issues with reference to pertinent arguments and evidence and formulate ‘contextual’ and ‘theoretical’ frameworks.
8. To assemble information and data from a variety of sources and discern and establish connections.
9. To evaluate current procedures and approaches, investigate routine and unfamiliar problems and apply professional judgment in order to devise solutions and/or recommend appropriate actions.

Transferable skills of conducting a dissertation

On completion of your dissertation, you should be able to:

1. Effectively communicate complex ideas, information and data by written and sometimes oral and visual means in a form appropriate to the intended reader and/or audience, with appropriate acknowledgement and referencing of sources.
2. Apply statistical and numerical skills at an advanced level.
3. Use information and communications technology (ICT) to locate and access opinions, information and data from a wide range of sources and communicate information to others.
4. Exercise initiative and personal responsibility in employment and possess the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.

Purpose of the book

This book fulfils a need within the construction industry by providing students with a useful guide to undertake a piece of research. The construction industry is now developing a community with a new attitude to research. Although a number of texts are available on research design and methodology, there is little applied in construction. This book is specifically designed to assist:

1. Honours undergraduate students and MSc (taught Masters) students in built environment conducting a dissertation or final year research in construction such as construction management, construction project management, quantity surveying, building surveying, architecture and facility management. However, as the book follows the inter...