3804647: Research Design

Description

This module aims at supporting methodological competences of knowledge discovery and creation. In particular, students will be given a introductory overview of different research strategies and research methods to broaden their expertise and to assist them composing their own tailored research design.

The subjects that are likely to be covered include:

• Research Design
• Analytical and Experimental Evaluation of Research
• Survey Research
• Qualitative Methods
• Case Study and Action Research
• Mixed Methods Approach
• Design Science Research
• Theory Building
• Literature Review
• Research Methods for the Built Environment

Lecture Goals

• Basics in research design, hypotheses and their verification, the role of theory and the concept of causality.
• Basics in quantitative and qualitative methodology and mixed focuses.
• Basics in observational and experimental methodology.

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• gain an overview about currently used empirical methods
• review and qualify empirical articles from a diversity of fields
• choose the right design for their thesis

Lectures Method

self-study; presentation and paper by students

Admission Requirements

none

Literature

A reader and/or corresponding handouts will be distributed via the forum. The following books cover most of the subjects in the course:
J. Bortz and N. Döring (2006). Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation für Human- und Sozialwissenschaftler (4. Auflage). Berlin: Springer
J. W. Cresswell (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications Inc.
John Zeisel (2006). Inquiry by Design: Environment/Behavior/Neuroscience in Architecture, Interiors, Landscape, and Planning. W.W. Norton.
Groat, L. and D. Wang (2002) Architectural research methods. New York: J. Wiley .
Denzen, N.K. nd Yvona S. Lincoln, The SAGE handbook of qualitative research, 3rd Ed (2002)