PhD Final Thesis April 2013.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Thesis Keith Gale 2013discipline. As a practice based thesis, social convention, language and methods areallied to the construction management paradigm.In this chapter, an approach to research methodology is developed fromphilosophical theories to those applicable for construction management. This allowsdevelopment of hypotheses relevant to this study followed by proposed researchmethods. A discussion on the sample size, sources and reliability of evidence allowsan overview of methods to be constructed with a summation provided at the end ofthis chapter.4.2 Approach to research methodologyRemenyi et al, (1998) suggests that a researcher should consider and recognise thecommunity and context within which they exist when deciding which researchmethodologies to use. A philosophical approach to epistemological and ontologicalassumptions should reflect the professional practice background and organisationalcontext of the research. Epistemological assumptions concern origins, nature andlimits of human knowledge and guides research methods used for study. Ontologymay be used to question existence itself, and is concerned with the study of beingand events (Coghlan and Brannick, 2005). Paradigms of research are shown in Table4.1, placed in the context of research methodologies together with the effects upon aresearcher.Table 4.1: Research paradigms adapted from Coghlan and Brannick, (2005)PhilosophicalbackgroundPositivism Interpretivism Action researchOntology Objective Subjective ObjectiveEpistemology Objective Subjective SubjectiveTheory Generalised Specific SpecificReflexivity Methodological Encompassing EpistemicRole ofresearcherDistanced Close Close80