Lessons Learned in Designing Research Methodology in Field-Based Construction Research

Research aiming at modeling construction knowledge often faces many problems because of the unique nature of each construction project and the lack of formal data-collection procedures within the industry. Therefore, designing a sound research methodology becomes very important for assuring the validity of this type of research. This paper summarizes the methodology used in the development of a model for evaluating bridge construction plans. It defines some validity threats facing such research efforts and provides some techniques for overcoming them. The case shows that the use of overlapping data-collection tools coupled with rigorous, stepwise analysis of each step in the model development is crucial for research validity.