Research Methods For Construction Coursesmart

Research Methods for Construction will help you instil rigour into your problem-solving, and into your reports and publications. It will be of value to construction, surveying, architecture and civil engineering students undertaking research, whether for bachelors and masters degree dissertations, or for masters and doctoral research degree theses. Now in its Fourth Edition, this remains one of the few books to provide guidance on research formulation, methodologies, and methods specifically for construction students. Three main sections – Producing a Proposal, Executing the Research and Reporting the Results discuss the key issues in research and examine the primary approaches, both qualitative and quantitative. The methods adopted for scientific and engineering experiments, model building and simulations are discussed, as well as those employed for research into management, social and economic issues. The authors examine the requirements for data and analysis, including the important statistical considerations and a range of qualitative techniques that enable construction researchers to appreciate what needs to be evaluated in devising how research may be carried out effectively and efficiently. This new edition has been updated to reflect current debates and concerns, including ethical issues, legislation and codes of practice concerning the collection, processing, storage, use and disposal of data. Pressures of time and funding to carry out the empirical work all too often lead to a lack of attention to how the study should be done and why. The authors address the importance of explaining the philosophical approach adopted (ontology, epistemology) and the consequent methodology. They advocate close scrutiny of the methods available for appropriateness, both academically and practically. The fundamental theme of the book remains to facilitate a researcher’s informed and justified selection of a philosophical paradigm and of appropriate methods to execute the research.

Communication Research Methods in Postmodern Culture explores communication research from a postmodern perspective while retaining key qualitative and quantitative research methods. The author uses easy-to-understand language to incorporate new research methods inspired by contemporary culture and includes review questions and suggested activities designed to help readers understand and master communication research. The blend of new and traditional methods creates a book appropriate to the study of communication in an increasingly complex cultural environment.

This book distills out of the rich vein of sociological research some of what is known about the structure of stratification in the United States. It emphasizes the importance of power for understanding the structure of stratification.

Media Research Methods: Understanding Metric and Interpretive Approaches brings the insights of a senior theorist, methodologist, and critic to the classroom. Departing from the methods recipe approach, the text explains the reasons behind the methods and makes the connections to theory and knowledge production. Written in a conversational style, the book engages students and appeals to them as media consumers and users of research. The book takes the reader through each step of the research process, outlining the procedures, differences, strengths and limitations of metric, interpretive and the newer hybrid approaches. The text lays down a strong foundation in empirical research and problem solving, addressing metric topics of hypotheses, sampling, statistics, survey and experimental protocols and interpretive topics of textual analysis, coding, critical engagement and ethnography. A special chapter at the end of the book is a helpful guide for those readers who aspire to a research and analysis career.

This text helps readers understand how to collect, manage, evaluate, and analyze data. It also provides guidelines for the presentation of analysis, especially for nonacademic audiences without training in statistical analysis. These guidelines help ensure that statistics and graphical displays tell the story that analysts want to convey while protecting their analysis from methodological criticism. Author Robert Pearson focuses attention on the conceptual understanding of statistics, while referring (sparingly) to specific formulas when they help reveal a conceptual point about the statistics. Key Features · Combines a concern for the design, collection, measurement, and the management of data with its analysis and presentation · Provides examples and data concerning real world problems in education, crime, government performance, and other policy arenas · Clearly demonstrates the steps used to generate the appropriate statistics and graphs in Excel and SPSS and then provides exercises to replicate and elaborate on these examples This book and its supporting materials are ideally suited for graduate students in professional degree programs in public policy, education, social work, criminology, urban planning, and related schools as well as advanced undergraduates in these fields. The book's explanations, descriptions, illustrations, and step-by-step exercises create the skills and knowledge required of a policy analyst, advisor, consultant or the elected or appointed public official or nonprofit officer who wants to be better able to interpret and evaluate others' applied social research. Its data sets, solutions sets, instructors' manual, lecture slides, and student workbook provide instructors with a complete and fully integrated instructional package.

Empirical Political Analysis introduces students to the full range of qualitative and quantitative methods used in political science research. Organized around all of the stages of the research process, this comprehensive text surveys designing experiments, conducting research, evaluating results, and presenting findings. With exercises in the text and in a companion lab manual, Empirical Political Analysis gives students applied insights on the scopes and methods of political science research. Features: Offers comprehensive coverage of quantitative and qualitative research methods in political science, a hallmark since it first published over 25 years ago. Covers the research process from start to finish—hypothesis formation, literature review, research design, data gathering, data analysis, and research report writing. Includes in-depth examples of political science research to give discipline-specific instruction on political analysis. Features a “Practical Research Ethics” box in every chapter to make students aware of common ethical dilemmas and potential solutions to them. Written by political scientists who actively publish in subfields ranging from comparative politics to environmental policy to political communications to voting behavior. Includes learning goals, key terms, and research examples to help students engage and explore the most important concepts.

With its enhanced design and increased Canadian content, Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches sets a new standard in social research methods. The improved layout makes a difficult subject easier to understand, with a new four-colour, visually enhanced presentation.¿Updated Canadian content focuses on real research examples from Canadian studies to make social research accessible to students and demonstrate how social research has applications in the real world. Themed boxes and new¿end-of-chapter questions increases student learning and provides a foundation for further learning about social research methods.

Updated in its 3rd edition, Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning presents quickly applied methods for analyzing and resolving planning and policy issues at state, regional, and urban levels. Divided into two parts, Methods which presents quick methods in nine chapters and is organized around the steps in the policy analysis process, and Cases which presents seven policy cases, ranging in degree of complexity, the text provides readers with the resources they need for effective policy planning and analysis. Quantitative and qualitative methods are systematically combined to address policy dilemmas and urban planning problems. Readers and analysts utilizing this text gain comprehensive skills and background needed to impact public policy.

Primatologists have long viewed small fruiting trees, like figs, as the reason for gibbons’ territorial and monogamous behavior. However, at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand where gibbons are prevalent, figs are one of the largest trees in the forest. In this long-term field study, Bartlett takes up this apparent contradiction, and follows gibbons as their major food sources wax and wane over time.This is an important reference on gibbons and the study of small apes which provides a thorough, expansive coverage of the relationship between fruit abundance and diet, range use, and intergroup interactions in Gibbon apes. The Gibbons of Khao Yai: Seasonal Variation in Behavior and Ecology provides an essential resource for students conducting research in this field.

While most construction management books are project based, thisbook looks at management principles and techniques applied to theday-to-day problems facing a business in the construction industry. It covers: Business strategy Industrial relations Health and safety Managing people Financial management Quantitative methods The text includes end of chapter review questions and a range ofillustrative examples. Since the book was first written in 1982 much has changed. TheSecond Edition has been thoroughly revised and takes accountof the increased globalisation of construction, the move frompublic to private sector work, the drive for productivity, changingprocurement methods, new emphasis on life cycle costing and muchmore. It will provide a valuable text for undergraduate andpostgraduate courses in construction management, surveying andcivil engineering as well as offering useful insights forpractitioners undertaking CPD activities.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. Provides a foundation for understanding research findings in social sciences. Designed to help students acquire basic skills in the methods of social science research, the second edition of Research Methods and Society contains numerous excerpts from professional journal articles, scholarly books, and popular press. The text uses a straightforward writing style to present essential information, without eliminating key concepts, tools, and their applications. Concrete, everyday examples and “hands-on” practice activities reinforce fundamental concepts that will be useful to students in their future careers and life. Topics are illustrated in ways that are student-centered, yet instructor-friendly. This text is available in a variety of formats – print and digital. Check your favorite digital provider for your etext, including Coursesmart, Kindle, Nook, and more. To learn more about our programs, pricing options and customization, click the Choices tab. Learning Goals Upon completing this book, readers will be able to: Understand research findings in the social sciences. Conduct social research. Apply social research skills and principles to everyday situations. Note: MySearchLab does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySearchLab, please visit: www.myserachlab.com or you can purchase a ValuePack of the text + NEW MySearchLab: ValuePack ISBN-10: / ValuePack ISBN-13:

"Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research offers a truly balanced, inclusive, and integrated overview of the processes involved in educational research. This text first examines the general steps in the research process and then details the procedures for conducting specific types of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies. Direct guidance on reading research is offered throughout the text, and interactive features provide opportunities for practice."--Publisher's description.

The definitive text in the field, thoroughly updated and expanded Hailed by professionals around the world as the definitive text on the subject, Cold-Formed Steel Design is an indispensable resource for all who design for and work with cold-formed steel. No other book provides such exhaustive coverage of both the theory and practice of cold-formed steel construction. Updated and expanded to reflect all the important developments that have occurred in the field over the past decade, this Fourth Edition of the classic text provides you with more of the detailed, up-to-the-minute technical information and expert guidance you need to make optimum use of this incredibly versatile material for building construction. Wei-Wen Yu and Roger LaBoube, respected authorities in the field, draw upon decades of experience in cold-formed steel design, research, teaching, and development of design specifications to provide guidance on all practical aspects of cold-formed steel design for manufacturing, civil engineering, and building applications. Throughout the book, they describe the structural behavior of cold-formed steel members and connections from both the theoretical and experimental perspectives, and discuss the rationale behind the AISI and North American design provisions. Cold-Formed Steel Design, Fourth Edition features: Thoroughly up-to-date 2007 North American (AISI S100) design specifications Both ASD and LRFD methods for USA and Mexico LSD (Limit States Design) method for Canada A new chapter on the Direct Strength Method Updates and revisions of all 14 existing chapters In-depth design examples and explanation of design provisions Cold-Formed Steel Design, Fourth Edition is a necessary tool-of-the-trade for structural engineers, manufacturers, construction managers, and architects. It is also an excellent advanced text for college students and researchers in structural engineering, architectural engineering, construction engineering, and related disciplines.

Due to the large-scale global transformations of the 20th century, migration literature has become a vibrant genre over the last decades. In these novels, issues of transcultural identity and belonging naturally feature prominently. This study takes a closer look at the ways in which the idea of family informs processes of identity construction. It explores changing roles and meanings of the diasporic family as well as intergenerational family relations in a migration setting in order to identify the specific challenges, problems, and possibilities that arise in this context. This book builds on insights from different fields of family research (e.g. sociology, psychology, communication studies, memory studies) to provide a conceptual framework for the investigation of synchronic and diachronic family constellations and connections. The approach developed in this study not only sheds new light on contemporary British migration literature but can also prove fruitful for analyses of families in literature more generally. By highlighting the relevance and multifaceted nature of doing family, this study also offers new perspectives for transcultural memory studies.

This book describes industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology programs in action, showing how they are developed and implemented in a variety of organizational settings, using workers who differ by gender, age, culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

The all-in-one interior detailing guide that unites creative and technical aspects A well-executed interior space requires the successful combination of the creative and the technical. Interior Detailing bridges the gap between design and construction, and shows how to develop and transform design concepts into details that meet the constraints, functional requirements, and constructability issues that are part of any interior design element. It offers guidance on how design professionals can combine imaginative thinking and the application of technical resources to create interiors that are aesthetically pleasing, functionally superior, and environmentally sound. Interior Detailing: Includes 150 easy-to-understand details showing how to logically think through the design and development of an assembly so that it conforms to the designer's intent and meets the practical requirements of good construction Describes how to solve any detailing design problem in a rational way Contains conceptual and practical approaches to designing and detailing construction components thatform interior spaces Shows how a small number of principles can be used to solve nearly any detailing problem This guide covers the subject of interior spaces comprehensively by balancing the contributions of physical beauty and structural integrity in one complete volume. By following the principles laid out in this book, interior designers and architects can plan for the construction of a unique interior environment more thoughtfully and with a clearer, better-defined purpose.

A thoughtful text integrating strengths, assets, andcapacity-building themes with contemporary issues in rural socialwork practice Now in its second edition, Rural Social Work is acollection of contributed readings from social work scholars,students, and practitioners presenting a framework for resourcebuilding based on the strengths, assets, and capacities of people,a tool essential for working with rural communities. This guide considers methods for social workers to participatein the work of sustaining rural communities. Each chapter featuresa reading integrating the themes of capacity-building and ruralsocial work; discussion questions that facilitate critical thinkingaround the chapter; and suggested activities and assignments. Rural Social Work, Second Edition explores: Important practice issues in rural communities, including thechallenges of working with stigmatized populations such as gay,lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, the homeless, andpeople living with HIV/AIDS Practice models that hold special promise for rural socialworkers, including evidence-based practice and communitypartnership models Newer research tools such as asset mapping, social networkanalysis, concept mapping, and Geographic Information Systems(GIS) Exploring how social workers can integrate the tremendousresources that exist in rural communities into their practice,Rural Social Work, Second Edition provides a solidintroduction to the complex, challenging, and rewarding work ofbuilding and sustaining rural communities.

This book lays out some of the basic problems of a biological theory of race, in particular the arbitrariness of most racial classifications based on biological differences between populations. It provides the biological background to a consideration of the biology of human differences.

Taking an interdisciplinary approach, An Introduction to Global Studies presents readers with a solid introduction to the complex, interconnected forces and issues confronting today's globalized world. Introduces readers to major theories, key terms, concepts, and notable theorists Equips readers with the basic knowledge and conceptual tools necessary for thinking critically about the complex issues facing the global community Includes a variety of supplemental features to facilitate learning and enhance readers' understanding of the material