soa+d research manual - School of Architecture and Design, KMUTT

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PARADIGMS, STRATEGIES & TACTICS
(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS METHODOLOGY)
INTRODUCTION
At the heart of any research project is the question of
methodology. As it usually understood, methodology simply
means the selection of appropriate methods (ways of gathering
data) and means of interpretation of the results so gathered.
That is, your methodology comprises the set of methods that
you hypothesise will provide you with the means to answer the
questions that drive your research inquiry.
Whilst this is a useful way of starting to think about questions
of methodology—a heuristic if you will—it’s apparent simplicity
veils a set of more complex and contested ideas. in this brief
note i want to explore these issues in a fairly straightforward
way and, in doing so, raise a set of questions that you might
consider as you carry out your research and work out the
thinking behind it.
PUTTING METHOD(OLOGY) IN CONTExT
One way to clarify and extend your thinking about methods and
methodology is to make use of a modified version of a model
suggested by the architectural researchers and educators groat
and Wang (2002). This model is based on three nested moments
in research, each of which frames—and therefore influences—
the others inside it. by inserting the conventional language of
research into the diagram we immediately notice something.
methodology—usually seen as a high level concern—is in fact
presented as a mid-level activity nested in more general field;
the system of inquiry or, as lincoln and guba put it, the research
or inquiry ‘paradigm’.
sysTEms Of iNQuiRy (PARADigms)
sTRATEgiEs gROAT AND WANg’s
TERmiNOlOgy (bAsED
ON liNcOlN & gubA ,
AND KAPlAN)
TAcTics
mEThODs
mEThODOlOgiEs
figuRE 1: adapted from groat & Wang (2002)
?
cONVENTiONAl
TERmiNOlOgy
REsEARch NOTEs
let’s look at it in a little more detail by working out from the
middle towards the edges—from the specific to the general, if
you will:
Tactics refer to the specific procedures and processes adopted
in a research project—a survey say, or a period of participant
observation and a photo-set (methods in the above terms).
Strategies refer to the overall research approach (methodology
in the above terms). i will discuss some major strategies below.
Tactics are chosen that will help meet aims, questions and
objectives laid out in the strategy;
Paradigms—the missing element in the conventional approach
opposite—are the philosophical assumptions or worldview that
frames an inquiry. Why is this significant? Well, we all operate
in relation to a belief system and this determines how we make
sense of the world. yet these systems are often hidden from
us, or simply appear as natural or common sense. similarly,
research inquiry operates via a set of broad belief systems and
these guide (perhaps pre-consciously) the researcher’s choices
and perspectives. given that the major paradigms operate
on radically different conceptions of ontology—the nature of
reality—and epistemology—how we come to know the real—
it should become clear how important it is to be aware of the
philosophical dimensions of our research.
Researchers have identified a range of ways of classifying the
major inquiry paradigms. in figure Two (overleaf) i provide a
slightly modified version of guba and lincoln’s (1994) influential
model of these for your information. Whilst it is beyond the
scope of this brief note to discuss this in detail, suffice to say
that three important points should be born in mind as you design
your inquiries: 1) it is important to articulate your worldview
and that adopted in your research to avoid prejudice; 2) in your
research there should be a coherence between your paradigm,
strategy and tactics; 3) however, this is best seen in relational
and dialectical rather than causal terms; 4) moreover, the choice
of paradigm does not determine strategies or preclude particular
approaches. That is, within each paradigm it is possible
to choreograph multiple and various strategies and tactics
depending on the particular requirements of the inquiry.
RESEARCH STRATEGIES
in Architectural Research methods (2002) groat and Wang
outline seven Research strategies. The notes below are loosely
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