The dominant research paradigm within construction
management
In order to examine the methodological positions and research methods adopted
by construction management researchers, an analysis was carried out of every paper
published in Construction Management and Economics in Volume 24, 2006 (see Dainty,
2007). Each paper was scrutinised for statements as to the methodological position of
the author(s) and the methods employed. Where this was not unambiguously stated
within a defined section of the paper, efforts were made to identify the methods
adopted from the narrative description of the research. In some cases, no discernable
empirical research methods were adopted as the paper was a review-type contribution.
In other cases, papers drew upon a multi-paradigm research design. These papers
were defined as ‘review’ and/or ‘mixed methods’ respectively. Thus, four broad
classifications were used for summarising the methodologies adopted within the
papers as follows:
(1) Quantitative – unambiguously adopting quantitative methods rooted in a
positivist research paradigm.
(2) Qualitative – unambiguously adopting qualitative methods rooted in an
interpretative research paradigm.
(3) Mixed methods – comprising a combination of both inductive and deductive
research methods.
(4) Review – not utilising empirical research methods.
For those papers which reported research which adopted a qualitative (2) or mixed
method (3) approach, a further sub-classification step was undertaken to categorise
the methods used. These categories were established inductively and were not based