Important Dates / Assessment

• Test – 28 of May, 2022 – 9:00 – 12:00 (Civil Engineering Technology

Building)
• Submission of Research Proposal – 4th of June, 2021 (online)
• Assessment 1 – Research Proposal – 60%
• Assessment 2 – Test – 40%
 LEARNING OUTLINE
• Introduction to Research Methodology • Research Approach and Strategies
• Research Proposal • Data Collection
• Problem Identification and formulation • Sampling
• Literature review • Referencing and Citation
• Plagiarism and Copyright • Writing concise research abstract,
• Theories and Paradigms conclusion, recommendation, and
limitations
 RESEARCH PROBLEM
IDENTIFICATION AND TOPIC
FORMULATION
Beginning the research
•Every research begins with an initial idea about something to investigate.
•This idea pinpoints a problem that needs to be solved.
•Identifying this problem can be the hardest part of research.
•This identified problem leads to the formulation of a topic.
• The formulated topic raises significant questions in the mind of the
researcher.

• Probably 1 or 2 “big” questions, and several other minor questions.

How to Generate the Research Topic
•Browse text books and handouts
•Review lecture notes, text books
•Discuss options with teachers, other researchers
•Critical reading of published papers
Factors to consider in the choice of a
research topic
1. Novel
• When considering a research topic, the researcher must focus on one that has
not been investigated before.
• In the event that the problem has been studied before, he/she must inject
originality into it by coming up with other research design, using a different
data-gathering tool or a different scheme for analyzing the research data.
2. Interesting
• The researcher needs to consider his interest in the choice of a research
problem. Interest counts a lot in the conduct of a study. If a researcher is not
interested in the topic, it will be difficult on his part to put his heart and soul
in it.
3. Relevant
• The results of the study on a given problem should be of practical value to
the researcher and also significant to others in the field.
• This means that once the study had been completed, its findings, its
conclusions and recommendations can be used in improving practices or
solving an identified difficulty.
• Will the results add knowledge to information already available in the field?
4. Feasible

• This means that a problem that an investigator is going to work on can be completed without
undue amount of time, money or effort.
• Feasibility of research also means that the researcher has the necessary competence or
expertise to conduct the study on the chosen problem.
• Is the topic too broad? (e.g. the effects of TV violence on children)
• Can the problem really be investigated? (e.g. availability of information)
• What costs and time are involved in the analysis?
5. Researchable
• Data can be collected to answer the problem posed by the researcher.
• Can the data be analyzed? (Can the data be measured?).

6. Ethical
•A problem is said to be ethical when it does not involve physical or
psychological harm or damage to human beings or organizations.
• In other words, a study on a particular topic should not put people or
institutions in a bad light.
Making a Topic Original

1. Geographically
• Certain theories may have been tested in one area but have not received the
same attention elsewhere. Thus, you may find research focused on
technologies in the USA. Undertaking similar research in South Africa
would provide you with the basis for an original study.
2. Socially
•You may find that certain social groups have not received as much attention
as others.
•Existing work may focus exclusively upon men, and exclude women, or you
may find a certain theory that has not been applied to the elderly, or to the
physically disabled for example.
3. Temporally
• A theory may have been developed a number of years ago, thus its
relevance in contemporary society could be investigated.
• Comparing the findings would be an original study in itself.
• You may also come across a study that took place some years ago.
Collecting more up to date data may also form the basis for an original
project.
4. Contextually
• You may find existing theories from outside the field of the built
environment studies that is yet to be applied to the built environment
context.

5. Alternatively
• You could revisit existing research using new theories and assess whether
such theories have greater explanatory power.
6. Methodologically
• You could collect different data to explore a phenomenon.
• An example may be if you find a theory that has been tested
quantitatively, and apply a qualitative research design, or if you collect
data using in-depth interviews rather than questionnaire surveys.
Examples of workable research topics
• Assessment of the leadership style practices of civil engineers in the South
African construction industry

• Assessment of risk associated with digitalisation in the South African

construction industry

• Assessment of lean concepts in the South African construction industry

• Assessment of job satisfaction and organisational commitment of women civil
engineers in Gauteng, South Africa
Stating the Research Problem
✓Once you have identified a research problem
- State that problem clearly and completely.
- Determine the feasibility of the research.
✓Identify Research Questions and Research objectives:
- Completely researchable units.
- Small in number.
- Add up to the total problem.
- Must be clearly tied to the interpretation of the data.
Example of problem statement
The construction industry in most developed and developing countries is allegedly the slowest
relative to other industries when it comes to adopting innovative methods such as
digitalisation due to the risks involved. The situation is worse in developing countries as no
visible evidence of transformation is seen in the construction industry (Castagnino et al.,
2016). If this sector has any intention of transforming and improving project delivery,
understanding the risks involved in the adoption of digitalisation is important. Through this,
participants will be able to understand what to avoid or retain in the quest for attaining a
digital transformation. Apart from the slow adoption of digitalisation within the construction
industry of most developing countries, of which South Africa is no exception, there is also a
gap in literature with regard to the risk associated with digitalisation in the industry.
Apparently, more studies have focused on the adoption, challenges and benefits associated
with digitalisation. Understanding the risk associated with this obviously beneficial concept
will go a long way towards a proper digital transformation of the South African construction
industry.
Steps in Formulating a research
problem

Step 1: identify a broad field or subject area of interest to you

Ex: if you are studying housing you might be interested in researching occupants
behavior (customer satisfaction).
Step 2: Dissect the broad area into subareas
• Profile of satisfied housing occupants
• Antecedents (backgrounds) of occupants satisfaction
• The effect of occupants satisfaction on occupants related outcomes
• Measurement of occupants satisfaction
Step 3: Select what is of most interest to you
• It is neither advisable nor feasible to study all subareas.
• Go through your list and delete all those subareas in which you are not very
interested.
Step 4: Raise research questions
• What is the effect of occupants expectation on occupants satisfaction?
• What is the effect of service quality on occupants satisfaction?
• What is the effect of existing policies on occupants satisfaction?
Developing the Research Questions
✓Research questions are umbrella questions that addresses your topic.
✓Research questions include KEYWORDS or KEY PHRASES that can be
used for easy search of related articles in a database or search engine.
✓Research questions are questions you DO NOT know the answer to. You are
doing the research to gain new knowledge.
A good research question:
✓Provides direction
✓It’ll point you towards the theory you need to explore, the literature you need
to review, the data you need to gather, the methods you need to use, and to
some sort of answer
✓Is neither too broad nor too narrow
✓It should be easily and fully researchable.
✓It sets boundaries
Function of Research Questions
1 It guides the systematic planning of research

2 Define the nature and scope of the research

3 Determine the design of the project

4 Identify the sample

5 Guide data collection

6 Framework for data analysis

Some examples of general questions:
• How do the poor save?
Which poor?
• What is the impact of credit?
Impact on what? Credit for whom? What type of credit?
• Does Mcdonald’s or burger king make a better burger?
This question calls for opinion, what does “better” mean?
• Does South Africa have a nationalized health care system?
This question can be answered using “yes” or “no”.
Making general questions more specific
• How do the poor save?
i. What is the range of ways that migrants to South Africa save money
formally and informally?
ii. How common is the use of each means of savings among migrants in South
Africa?
iii. What are the average annual realized returns to each means of savings used
by migrants in South Africa?
Topic: Assessment of the maintenance management of civil Engineering projects in South Africa
Research Question
i. What are the maintenance management practices adopted in road infrastructure in South Africa?
ii. What are the challenges facing maintenance of road infrastructure in South Africa?
iii. What measures for improving maintenance of road infrastructure in South Africa?

Research Objectives
i. To assess the maintenance management practices adopted in road infrastructure in South Africa;
ii. To determine the challenges facing maintenance of road infrastructure in South Africa; and
iii. To identify the measures for improving maintenance of road infrastructure in South Africa?
WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION
•What do you want to learn about?
•Draft and redraft with increasing specificity
•Ask for feedback from colleagues
•Build on the work of others by conducting a systematic literature
review
•Narrowing, clarifying and even redefining your question is essential
to the research process.
•Coming up with the ‘right’ question should be seen as an ongoing
process that is constantly informed by reading and doing.
Cycle of research development
 ?
DO I NEED HYPOTHESIS
•Hypotheses are designed to express relationships between variables.
If this is the nature of your question, a hypothesis can add to your
research.

•If your question is more descriptive or explorative, generating a

hypothesis may not be appropriate
•Hypothesis may not be appropriate if:
i. You do not have a hunch or educated guess about a particular situation
ii. You do not have a set of defined variables (you might want to explore
things rather than test a hypothesis)
iii. Your question centres on phenomenological description
iv. Your question requires ethnographic study
v. Your aim is to engage in, and research, the process of collaborative change.
CHECKLIST FOR GOOD RESEARCH QUESTION
1. Is the question right for me?
✓ Will the question hold my interest?
✓ Can I manage any potential biases I may have?

2. Is the question well articulated?

✓ Are the terms well-defined?
✓ Are there any unchecked assumptions implicit in my question?
3. Does the question get the tick of approval from those in the know?
✓ Would ‘experts’ in the field think my question is important?
✓ What about scholars in related fields?
✓ What about the End-users?

4. Is the question right for the field?

✓ What will we learn that we don’t already know?
✓ Will the findings be significant?
✓ What contribution will my research make?
5. Is answering my question doable?
✓ How will I go about answering my question? Methods?
✓ Is the information I will need to answer my question actually
collectable?
✓ Do I have the skills and expertise necessary to do the research?
✓ Will I be able to get it all done within my time constraints?
✓ Are the costs likely to exceed my budget?
✓ Are there any potential ethics problems?
THANK YOU