En el tratamiento del estrabismo

In the outermost layer of the research onion, Saunders et al. (2009) present the philosophy of conducting research and describe the various points of view of choosing a particular philosophy. ‘Research Philosophy’ refers to the development and nature of knowledge (Creswell, 2007). The choice of research philosophy used also dictates the assumptions with which the world at large is viewed by the researcher (Collins, 2010). The assumptions associated with the research philosophy form the underpinnings of the research strategy employed (Creswell, 2007). A positivist approach is often quantitative and is commonly used for pure scientific research. The positivist approach is that an objective reality exists external to the actors involved and that new knowledge is added to existing knowledge in a sequential and cumulative manner by eliminating false hypotheses (Näslund, 2002). A phenomenological approach is generally classified as a qualitative style of research and is often employed for conducting social research, which generally tends to be based on observations (Neuman, 2011). The Saunders et al. (2009) model shown in figure 3.1 identifies the philosophical stance for positivism and phenomenology as a continuum of the various choices available to social researchers. Denzin & Lincoln (2011) argue that qualitative research is fast replacing quantitative research especially in the field of social research. For example, the implementation of site safety depends on several aspects including issues such as ‘safety bias’, safety training, management buy-in, superintendents’ experience, workers’ experience etc. These factors vary from company to company, jobsite to jobsite and most importantly from person to person. A phenomenological philosophy implicitly admits that superintendents’ perspective regarding safety is shaped by their experiences and beliefs rather than explicit, objective reality outside of these perceptions (Fellows and Liu, 2009). By using a phenomenological approach this research aims to understand superintendents’ perspective of site safety, their approach to various situations on site and their perspective on automating certain aspects of site safety practices. Hence, for the purpose of this research,

Chapter 3 – Research Design & Methodology

66

epistemology as two branches of the philosophical choices. In the context of social research, Bryman (2012) describes ‘Ontology’ as the consideration of reality with regards to social entities and ‘Epistemology’ as the consideration of acceptability of knowledge.

3.3.1 Ontology

Ontology refers to the nature of reality and speaks to the assumptions of the researcher about the world at large (Corbin and Strauss, 2008). The ontological stance adopted address the assumptions through which the researcher perceives the question of how the world operates (Saunders et al., 2009). Objectivism represents that social entities exist external to the social actors concerned with their existence (Bryman, 2012; Creswell, 2007). Subjectivism, on the other hand, holds that social phenomena are created by the perceptions and corresponding actions of those social actors concerned with their existence (Saunders et al., 2009; Barrett and Barrett, 2003). Objectivism can be considered a positivist’s approach to ontology whereas subjectivism can be considered a phenomenologist’s approach. Construction professionals’ view of safety is shaped by their experiences and their perceptions of its importance in the construction industry. By adopting subjectivist ontology this research aims to understand how superintendents implement site safety, their perceived problems with implementing site safety and their ideas for solutions to those problems. Therefore subjectivist ontology is chosen for this research.

3.3.2 Epistemology

Epistemology is the theory and nature of knowledge and what is considered acceptable knowledge in a particular field of study (Bryman, 2012). Positivism in the context of social research would indicate the researcher would make generalisations based on observable social reality (Bryman, 2012). Realism, much on the lines of positivism, holds that reality exists independent of the human mind (Bryman, 2012). Interpretivism stems from the phenomenological perspective that requires researchers to take a different approach to humans unlike studying objects like phones or cars (Bryman, 2012). The researcher must take an empathetic stance to understanding the subjects and try to understand the world from their point of view (Saunders et al., 2009). The implementation of safety practices on a construction site is a human activity and its

Chapter 3 – Research Design & Methodology

effectiveness is often based on people’s perspective of issues such as ‘optimism bias’ (Caponecchia and Sheils, 2011). Also, considering the phenomenological approach chosen earlier, from an epistemological standpoint, this research takes an interpretivist approach.

3.3.3 Summary of Research Philosophy

In summary, ‘research philosophy’ represents the nature of developing new knowledge; whereas, ontology addresses the question of “what is there to be known?” and epistemology address the question “how do we know what we know?” Bryman (2012) suggests that the ontological assumptions of a study cannot be divorced from the conduct of social research as these assumptions would guide the framing of the research question and the conduct of the research. Saunders et al. (2009) suggest that the researcher’s view regarding what may be considered as acceptable knowledge dictates the lens through which the researcher chooses to interpret the meanings of the study. Therefore a consistent stance must be adopted with respect to the choices made with regards to the ‘philosophy’, ‘ontology’ and ‘epistemology’ of a research undertaking. In this research, a ‘phenomenological’ philosophy, ‘subjectivist’ ontology and an ‘interpretivist’ epistemology are adopted.

3.4 Research Approach

The next layer of the Saunders et al. (2009) research onion considers the ‘Research Approach’ addressing the theme of ‘Theory’ development. ‘Theory is about the connection between phenomenon, a story about why events, structure and thoughts occur’

(Sutton and Staw, 1995, p. 378). The use of theory therefore is inevitable in the research process. However, answering the question of whether theory is the first step of the research process or is the result of actions taken in the research process presents two ways that are opposite in their underlying assumptions. This choice is referred to as the ‘Research Approach’ in the Saunders et al. model (2009). Two broad methods of reasoning are prevalent in research, namely the ‘inductive approach’ and the ‘deductive approach’.

Chapter 3 – Research Design & Methodology

68 3.4.1 Deductive Approach

A deductive approach involves the development of a theory that is thoroughly tested. It is the common approach for the objectivist ontology and is widely used in natural sciences where laws are the basis of explanation of phenomenon (Collis & Hussey, 2003). The initial development of the theory often leads to the development of a hypothesis which is then subject to rigorous testing and may lead to the validation of the theory or may lead to further adjustment of the theory and the process is repeated. This approach is also referred to as going from the ‘general’ to the ‘specific’ and also as the ‘top-down’ approach.

3.4.2 Inductive Approach

An inductive approach involves observations leading to the development of theory. In the inductive approach, observations made are generally studied within the context of the phenomenon. The inductive approach is commonly used in the subjectivist ontology and is referred to as ‘bottom-up’ approach and going from the ‘specific’ to the general. It is also acknowledged that it is not necessary to make generalisations when an inductive approach is chosen and furthermore, it may not be possible to make generalisations as the theory is based on a set of circumstances and often with social actors. Therefore a deductive approach is better suited for a positivist paradigm whereas the inductive approach is better suited for the interpretivist paradigm (Collins, 2010).

Site safety issues have to be studied within the context of the workers, the site superintendent, the conditions on the jobsite etc. Thus an inductive approach is chosen for this research. Themes and categories will be developed from the data collected in this research, which in turn lead to the creation of a framework for monitoring construction workers using RFID and BIM.