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

Thesis Keith Gale 2013• To identify the varying factors involved with collective views from thequestionnaire and reduce these by the use of factor analysis to provide keyindependent variables for further analysis.• To explore the relationship between independent and dependant variablesand use these to determine if correlation exists between project outcomesand sociological group views.A progressive structured approach is used to analyse data to the following order:1 Results dissected into sections to match mathematical properties of scaleresponses contained in the questionnaire. Results are grouped into thoseusing a multiple choice scale of three and a Likert scale of five.2 A series of tests of normality of participants with responses.3 Manipulation of raw data from the questionnaires so that responses tonegatively worded questions are reversed and results are aligned.4 Empirical analysis of reliability, normality and skewness.5 Factor analysis to identify predominant factors from questionnaireresponses6 Regression analysis to determine the extent to which independent variablescontribute toward dependant variables.9.8 Dissection of questionnaire into sections to match scales usedMathematical properties of the questionnaire differ according to the scale used, thequestions posed and the psychological structure of the content. As an introduction,section 2 of the questionnaire comprised questions asking for opinions fromparticipants. Participants choose one closed response from a selection of threealternatives. The alternatives are (a) traditional procurement method, (b) frameworkagreement method, or (c) neutral position. Actual questions asked comprised amixture of topics and categories, with positively or negatively worded statements inan apparently unstructured manner to encourage honesty of responses. A deliberatemixture reduces pattern detection by participants and allows reliable consistentopinions to be recognised – for example use of a question posed twice at separate202