6CN010 - Dissertation

Choosing the methodology

Choosing the methodology

Definition of methodology:
the systems of methods and principles used in a particular
discipline; the branch of philosophy concerned with the
science of method (Collins);
the overall method used to achieve the aims of the
investigation (Holt).

The methodology chosen will depend on the objectives

of the research with respect to:

D.E. Searle & S.Suresh

industrial / academic bias;

conceptual / empirical results;
qualitative / quantitative bias; and
pure / applied bias.

Methodologies (1)
Process observation
an hypothesis cannot be considered until the existing
condition is fully understood. The literature will provide
some, but not all of the evidence.
Observation will complement the literature search and
provide some further understanding of the way a
process is conducted.
E.g. method study might be used to record a procedure
of work in for example a study of productivity.
Generally considered as a qualitative approach.

D.E. Searle & S.Suresh

Methodologies (2)
Processmeasurement
Generallyanextensionofprocessobservation;
Couldinvolveforexampletimestudy(recordingoftimestoperformtasks)
toacquirea(e.g.)productivitystandard.

Openquestionsurvey
Commonapproachinthebuiltenvironment.
Employsaquestionnaireinvitingaformofwrittenreply:Whatisyour
opinionoftheEganreport?
Suchqualitativeresearchdataismoredifficulttoanalyse,albeitcontent
analysistechniques(e.g.wordcounts)canbeapplied.

Closedquestionsurvey
Ranking110?

YesNo

Structuredsurvey(quantitativeversionofopensurvey)
questionsneedtobeplannedanddesigned
considerrangeofresponseandintendedanalysis

Methodologies (3)
Unstructured interview
Oral equivalent of the process observation.
A means of abstracting qualitative information.
The former question on Egan might me be used as a starting
point and the interview could take any direction thereafter.
Interviewer will have some control over the direction.
Structured interview
Interview follows a predetermined direction using a structured
set of questions.
Should aim to address objectivity so that interviews can be
analysed on a like for like basis.
Interviews best recorded and later transcribed for analysis.
Very time consuming and somewhat difficult to analyse.

D.E. Searle & S.Suresh

Methodologies (4)

Symbolic experiments / mathematical models

Represent a situation or sequence of events but not in a
physical form.
Usually involve a system of equations.
E.g. Let us assume we wish to model the productivity of
the UK construction industry.
This will involve measurement of UK construction productivity
(possibly from literature) - that is the dependent variable
Identification and measurement of factors known to impact
productivity (e.g. economic climate, government influence etc) - that
is the dependent variables
From this we could develop a symbolic predictive model of
productivity that could be developed into a mathematical model
using (e.g.) multiple regression techniques.

D.E. Searle & S.Suresh

Comparison between postal surveys and interviews

Features

Interviews

Postal Questionnaire

1. Identity of respondents

Known

Unknown

2. Interaction between researcher

and respondent

Close

Distant

3. Time involving the researcher

Long time

Short time

4. Sample

Small

Large

5. Quality of information

Deep and detailed

Rich

6. Skill and experience

Skill needed to ask questions and

to probe

No skill required

7. Control of the process

High

Low

8. Flexibility

High

Rigid

9. Analysis of the results

Difficult and complicated esp. for

semi / unstructured

Easy

10. Researcher bias

Possible

None with appropriate sample

THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS?

D.E. Searle & S.Suresh