Sherratt, F and Leicht, R (2020) Unpacking ontological perspectives in CEM research: Everything is biased. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 146(2): 04019101, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Methodological debates are nothing new in construction engineering and management (CEM) research. However, when the consequences, and at times even the content, of such debates are considered, what often emerges is both a superficiality and inconsistency in the way research methodologies are understood, mobilized and used to judge the rigor and value of empirical work. CEM research seems reluctant to engage with the nature of reality, the nature of knowledge, or, at times, with any philosophy at all. This paper explores and considers the influence, or lack of influence, that ontological and epistemological positioning has on much of our CEM research, and what that indicates for the findings we generate. With an explicit focus on bias, and the approaches taken within a volume, 173 manuscripts, of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management are examined. We argue that multimethodological perspectives on a problem should be adopted where possible, able as they are to generate more holistic understandings and more comprehensive illuminations of phenomena in practice, and thereby support the development of a more mature CEM research discipline, both in terms of academic scholarship and relevance to practice.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bias; epistemology; methodology; research paradigms |
| Index terms: | bias, methodology, philosophy, journal, paradigm, construction engineering, research methodology, epistemology |
| Subjects: | philosophical studies, probability and distributions, research methods, engineering methods, education and knowledge transfer, knowledge theory, research design and methodology, research dissemination and communication |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here