| Description |
ix, 265 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Contents |
Contents note continued: 3.10.References or bibliography or both? -- 3.11.Common mistakes by students -- 3.12.Using software to help with your references -- 3.13.Avoiding the charge of plagiarism -- Summary of this chapter -- 4.Research goals and their measurement -- 4.1.Introduction -- 4.2.Aim -- 4.3.Research questions -- 4.4.Objectives -- 4.5.Objectives with only one variable -- 4.6.Objectives with two variables -- 4.7.Hypotheses -- 4.8.Independent and dependent variables -- 4.9.Lots of variables at large; intervening variables -- 4.10.Subject variables -- Example 1 -- Example 2 -- 4.11.No relationship between the IV and the DV -- 4.12.Designing your own measurement scales -- 4.13.Levels of measurement -- 4.14.Examples of categorical data in construction -- 4.15.Examples of ordinal data in construction -- 4.16.Examples of interval and ratio data in construction -- 4.17.Money as a variable -- Summary of this chapter -- 5.Methodology -- 5.1.Introduction -- |
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Contents note continued: 5.2.Approaches to collecting data -- 5.3.Types of data -- Primary or secondary data -- Objective or subjective data; hard or soft -- 5.4.Questionnaires -- Piloting the questionnaire -- Coding questionnaires -- A basket of questions to measure variables or multiple item scales -- Using a basket of questions in ordinal closed-response scales -- Other possible responses in ordinal closed-response scales -- Ranking studies -- 5.5.Other analytical tools -- 5.6.Incorporating reliability and validity -- 5.7.Analysis, results and findings -- Summary of this chapter -- 6.Qualitative data analysis -- 6.1.Introduction and the process -- 6.2.Steps in the analytical process -- Summary of this chapter -- 7.Quantitative data analysis: descriptive statistics -- 7.1.Introduction -- 7.2.Glossary of symbols -- 7.3.Calculations done manually or by using software -- 7.4.Descriptive statistics -- Ranking -- |
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Contents note continued: 8.5.Difference in means: the unrelated Mann-Whitney test -- Assembling the raw data -- Are differences due to chance? Manual calculations: p values and degrees of freedom -- The consequence of larger sample size and different spread of numbers -- 8.6.Difference in means: the related Wilcoxon test -- 8.7.Difference in means: the parametric related t test -- 8.8.Correlations -- Are differences due to chance?; and the correlation coefficient -- Manual calculations for Spearman's Rho -- The consequence of larger sample size and a wider spread of data -- 8.9.Difference in means, correlations or both? -- 8.10.Using correlation coefficients to measure internal reliability and validity -- 8.11.Summarising results -- Summary of this chapter -- 9.Discussion, conclusions, recommendations and appendices -- 9.1.Introduction -- 9.2.Discussion -- 9.3.Conclusions and recommendations -- 9.4.Appendices -- 9.5.The examiner's perspective -- Initial overview -- |
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Contents note continued: Normal distributions: measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode) -- Measures of spread: range, standard deviation, variance -- Standard score: the Z score -- Confidence intervals -- General use of descriptive statistics -- Summary of this chapter -- 8.Quantitative data analysis: inferential statistics -- 8.1.Introduction -- 8.2.Probability values -- The p value of [≤] 0.05 -- Setting the significance level of p; alternatives to 0.05 -- 8.3.The chi-square test -- Assembling the raw data -- Transferring raw data to the contingency table: stage 1 -- Are differences due to chance? manual calculations: p values and degrees of freedom -- The consequence of larger sample size and different spread of numbers -- More complex or more simple chi-square -- 8.4.Difference in mean tests: the ̀t' test -- Unrelated or related data -- Determining whether the data set is parametric -- Which difference in means test? -- |
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Contents note continued: Review of literature -- Design of study -- Presentation of results -- Discussion and conclusions -- Summative overview -- Summary of the dissertation process -- Summary of this chapter -- References -- Bibliography -- Appendices -- Appendix A Research ethics checklist -- Appendix B Narrative of a problem -- Appendix C A review of theory and literature -- Introduction and the problem -- The literature -- Motivation -- Social class -- Appendix D Qualitative analysis -- File 1 Research objectives -- File 2 Interview questions and prompts -- File 3 Verbatim transcripts of interviews first copy -- File 7 Verbatim transcripts of interviews third copy; originating from file 4, person A only -- File 9 A new file, comprising tables -- File 10 The narrative -- Appendix E Using Excel for charts, descriptive tests and inferential tests -- Four charts -- Frequency histograms -- Line diagrams -- Pie charts -- Scatter diagrams -- Eleven descriptive tests -- |
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Contents note continued: The five inferential tests -- Pearson's chi-square test -- Wilcoxon test, unrelated t-test and Mann-Whitney test -- Pearson's product moment correlation test---two routes both giving the same answer -- Appendix F The standard normal distribution table -- Appendix G Chi-square table -- Appendix H Mann-Whitney table, p = 0.05 -- Appendix I Mann-Whitney table, p = 0.01 -- Appendix J Wilcoxon table -- Appendix K Related t test table -- Appendix L Spearman's rho table -- Appendix M Pearson's r table -- Appendix N F distribution |
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Machine generated contents note: 1.Introduction -- 1.1.Introduction -- 1.2.Terminology; nomenclature -- 1.3.Document structure -- 1.4.Possible subject areas for your dissertation -- 1.5.Qualitative or quantitative analysis? -- 1.6.The student/supervisor relationship and time management -- 1.7.Ethical compliance -- 1.8.House style or style guide -- 1.9.Writing style -- 1.10.Proofreading -- Summary of this chapter -- 2.The introduction chapter to the dissertation -- 2.1.Introduction contents -- 2.2.Articulation or description of the problem and provisional objectives -- Summary of this chapter -- 3.Review of theory and the literature -- 3.1.Introduction -- 3.2.Judgements or opinions? -- 3.3.Sources of data -- 3.4.Methods of finding the literature -- 3.5.Embedding theory in dissertations -- 3.6.Referencing as evidence of reading -- 3.7.Citing literature sources in the narrative of your work -- 3.8.Secondary citing -- 3.9.Who to cite in your narrative -- |
| Summary |
As a built environment student you are likely to be required to research, write and submit a dissertation as a core component of your degree studies. As a vocational profession, students of the built environment often have strong practical aspirations. Writing a Built Environment Dissertation provides practical guidance and will help to steer you into a position where you can develop a good dissertation by mixing your practical strengths with more theoretical tools. -- |
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If you are an under-graduate student in the final year of an honours degree programme in the built environment, or perhaps a student at masters or PhD level and have been away from academic study for some time, then this book will help you to write a more innovative and thorough dissertation. --Book Jacket |
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The book is ordered around a common dissertation structure: that is, it starts with material that should be in the introduction and finishes with material that should be in the conclusion. Each chapter provides a commentary on the kind of information that you should put in each chapter of your dissertation, supported by a variety of examples using a range of methodological designs. The book has a strong focus on data collection, data analysis, reliability and validity - all areas where student dissertations are often weak. Material that will help you think about study skills and ethics is embedded throughout the book, and the chapters on qualitative and quantitative analysis will show you how to carry out a rigorous analysis while avoiding some of the complexity in statistical work. -- |
| Notes |
Formerly CIP. Uk |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Subject |
Academic writing.
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Architecture -- Research -- Methodology.
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Building -- Research -- Methodology.
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Building -- Research.
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Dissertations, Academic -- Authorship.
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Construction industry -- Research -- Methodology.
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Technical writing.
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| LC no. |
2010029196 |
| ISBN |
1405198516 (alk. paper) |
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9781405198516 (alk. paper) |
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