UDI Volume 65 (March 2020) |
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Maren Mallo Daniel, Jurbe Joseph Molwus, Joseph Tanko Nkup & Nenrot Gombwer Wuyokwe
Addressing Socio-technical Issues in Built Environment Research: A Philosophical Premise Urban Development Issues, vol. 65, 45–52 DOI: 10.2478/udi-2020-0004
Keywords: built environment, research philosophies, subjectivism, objectivism, research method
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ABSTRACT
Researchers within the built environment disciplines have increasingly drawn on a plurality of social methods in order to enrich their research. Three decades down the line the place of philosophy in the choice of appropriate research methods is yet to be appreciated by some built environment researchers. Consequently, a lack of adventure in interpretive research, wrong choice of methods and underrepresentation of the qualitative approach are reported, which suggests the existence of a knowledge gap. This study is aimed at illustrating the philosophical premise for employing social research methods to address socio-technical issues in built environment research. In achieving this, reference was made to a fire incident in a student dormitory in Nigeria as a problem upon which contrasting–subjectivist and objectivist–philosophical positions were examined. The consideration of these philosophical positions and the choices that resulted from both spectrums were seen to have their strengths and weaknesses. To offset the weaknesses in each approach while also leveraging on the strengths that each approach offers, the paper illustrated how a compromise–pragmatist–position can be reached to allow for the choice of, and mixing of multi-methods to solve research problems that could not be adequately solved using any single method.
Researchers within the built environment disciplines have increasingly drawn on a plurality of social methods in order to enrich their research. Three decades down the line the place of philosophy in the choice of appropriate research methods is yet to be appreciated by some built environment researchers. Consequently, a lack of adventure in interpretive research, wrong choice of methods and underrepresentation of the qualitative approach are reported, which suggests the existence of a knowledge gap. This study is aimed at illustrating the philosophical premise for employing social research methods to address socio-technical issues in built environment research. In achieving this, reference was made to a fire incident in a student dormitory in Nigeria as a problem upon which contrasting–subjectivist and objectivist–philosophical positions were examined. The consideration of these philosophical positions and the choices that resulted from both spectrums were seen to have their strengths and weaknesses. To offset the weaknesses in each approach while also leveraging on the strengths that each approach offers, the paper illustrated how a compromise–pragmatist–position can be reached to allow for the choice of, and mixing of multi-methods to solve research problems that could not be adequately solved using any single method.
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Bryman, A. (2012) Social Research Methods (4th ed), Oxford University, New York.
Creswell, J. W. (2014) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches 4th ed., SAGE Publications, London.
Crotty, M. (2003) The Foundations of Social Research; Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process, SAGE Publications, London.
Dainty, A.R.J. (2007) A review and critique of construction management research methods, [in:] W. Hughes, ed., Procs of Construction Management and Economics 25th Anniversary Conference, 16–18 July 2007, University of Reading, UK, 143.
Dainty, A. (2008) Methodological Pluralism in Construction Management Research, [in:] A. Knight, L. Ruddock, eds., Advanced Research Methods in the Built Environment, Black Well Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom.
Dainty, A.R.J., Bagilhole, B.M. & Neale, R.H. (1997) Analytical strategies for dealing with qualitative data in construction management research [in:] P. Stephenson, ed., Proceedings 13th Annual ARCOM Conference, 15–17 September 1997, King’s College, Cambridge, 484–493.
Demetrius, M. & McClain, B., 03.09.2012, Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Research: Insights from Research, UXMatters.
Available from: https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2012/09/strengths-and-weaknesses-of-quantitative-and-qualitative-research.php
[accessed: 31.01.2020].
Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (2011) The SAGE handbook of qualitative research, SAGE Publications, London.
Donmoyer, R. (2012) Can qualitative researchers answer policymakers’ what-works question?, Qualitative Inquiry, 18(8), 662–673.
Du Toit, J.L. & Mouton, J. (2013) A typology of designs for social research in the built environment, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 16(2), 125–139.
Gray, D.E. (2009) Doing Research in the Real World, 2nd Ed., SAGE Publications, London.
Grix, J. (2004) The Foundations of Research, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Hammersley, M. & Atkinson, P. (2007) Ethnography: Principles in Practice (3rd ed.), Routledge, London and New York.
Jaglin, S. (2014) Regulating Services Delivery in Southern Cities: Rethinking Urban Heterogeneity, [in:] S. Parnell, S. Oldfield, eds., The Routledge Handbook on Cities of the Global South, Routledge, London and New York.
Knight, A. & Ruddock, L., eds., (2008) Advanced Research Methods in the Built Environment, 1st Ed., Blackwells, United Kingdom.
Kothari, C.R. (2004) Research Methodology: Methods & Techniques, Second Revised Edition, New Age International (P) Ltd, New Delhi.
Laryea, S. & Ibem, E. (2017) West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference: Knowledge, Interaction, People & Leadership, Proceedings of the WABER 2017 Conference, 16–18 August, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
May, T. (1997) Social Research: Issues, Methods and Process, 2nd Ed., Open University Press, Buckingham.
Moreland, J.P. (2018) What is Scientism?, Crossway. Available from: https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-is-scientism/ [accessed: 31.01.2020].
Rahman, M.S. (2017) The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches and Methods in Language ‘Testing and Assessment’ Research: A Literature Review, Journal of Education and Learning, 6(1), 102–112.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2012) Research Methods for Business Students. 6th ed., Pearson Education Limited, London.
Shuttleworth, M. (2008) Operationalization, Snakk Om Mobbing.
Available from: https://explorable.com/operationalization [accessed: 05.11.2019].
Umeokafor, N. & Windapo, A. (2018a) Challenges to and opportunities for establishing a qualitative approach to built environment research in higher education institutions, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 16(4), 557–580.
Umeokafor, N. & Windapo, A.O. (2018b) Understanding the underrepresentation of qualitative research approaches to build environment research in Nigeria, International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 14(3), 198–217.