A study note on research theme, research issues, research approaches and research methods: for the Housing Studies students: 02

A study note on research theme, research issues, research approaches and research methods: for the Housing Studies students (information from perplexity.ai): 02

[related to course assignment 2, 2025]

My question 1: "I have a few questions about my Housing Dissertation: my research theme is: "the nano flats housing market outlook". I intend to conduct a quantitative research, based on positivism and I will use both a questionnaire survey and a structured interview, as my main primary research methods. With this information, could you come up with a dissertation proposal to me with: a dissertation title, 2 research issues as derived from my research theme, 3 related research objectives, and the two more clearly developed research methods design on the questionnaire survey and the structured interview. Also consider to apply 2 relevant Housing Studies theories to inform this study."

The reply: "Here is a dissertation proposal outline based on your theme, methodology, and philosophical stance:

Dissertation Title
"Market Dynamics and Consumer Behavior in the Nano Flats Housing Sector: A Quantitative Analysis"

Research Issues

1. What are the key market trends influencing the demand and supply of nano flats in urban housing markets?

2. How do consumer preferences and perceptions affect the purchasing decisions for nano flats?

Research Objectives

• To quantitatively analyze market trends and factors shaping the outlook of nano flats in urban settings.

• To assess consumer preferences, satisfaction, and decision criteria regarding nano flats through survey data.

• To investigate how specific demographic and socioeconomic variables correlate with attitudes toward nano flat housing.

Research Methods Design

Questionnaire Survey:

• A structured questionnaire will be developed to gather data on respondents’ demographic profiles, housing preferences, awareness of nano flats, and factors influencing their housing choices.

• The questionnaire will use closed-ended questions, Likert scales, and multiple-choice items to ensure quantitative data collection aligned with the positivist approach.

• Sampling will target current or potential nano flat residents in selected urban areas, using stratified random sampling to achieve diversity in income, age, and employment.

Structured Interview:

• A set of closed and standardized questions will be designed to be administered face-to-face or via phone to a sub-sample of survey respondents.

• Interviews will focus on clarifying survey responses, exploring attitudes toward market conditions, and assessing perceived advantages or disadvantages of nano flat living.

• Responses will be coded quantitatively to complement survey data and allow statistical analysis.

Relevant Housing Studies Theories

1. Consumer Choice Theory – This theory explains how individuals make decisions based on preferences, constraints, and information, helping to analyze consumer behavior in selecting nano flats.

2. Housing Market Segmentation Theory – This theory addresses how different submarkets exist within urban housing markets, which is useful for understanding the niche of nano flats compared to other housing types."

My question 2: "For the above proposal, if I change the research methods to the focus group and the in-depth interview research methods, and the research philosophy to interpretivism, what would the proposal looks like? And also compare the research methods strengths and weaknesses of these two research proposals."

The reply: "Here is the revised dissertation proposal and a comparison of research methods for both approaches:

---

Revised Dissertation Proposal

Dissertation Title
"Understanding Consumer Perspectives and Market Dynamics in the Nano Flats Housing Sector: An Interpretive Qualitative Study"

Research Issues

1. How do potential and current residents perceive and experience the lifestyle and value offered by nano flats?

2. What are the social and cultural factors shaping consumer attitudes toward nano flats in urban housing markets?

Research Objectives

• To explore in depth the meanings and experiences associated with living in or considering nano flats through qualitative data.

• To understand consumer attitudes, motivations, and concerns regarding nano flats using interpretive dialogue in focus groups.

• To derive rich, contextual insights into the socio-cultural influences on nano flat housing choices from in-depth personal interviews.

Research Methods Design

Focus Group:

• Groups of 6–8 participants, representing diverse demographics of current or potential nano flat residents, will be assembled to engage in guided discussions.

• Discussions will center around perceptions, lifestyle expectations, and community aspects of nano flat living to capture collective views and social dynamics.

• Sessions will be recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed to understand shared and divergent opinions.

In-depth Interview:

• Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with selected individuals for deeper exploration of personal narratives and complex attitudes toward nano flats.

• Interview guide will include open-ended questions to encourage storytelling and reflection on personal housing experiences.

• Data will be transcribed and analyzed using interpretive qualitative methods such as thematic or narrative analysis.

Relevant Housing Studies Theories

1. Symbolic Interactionism – To interpret how individuals construct meanings around living in nano flats and how social interactions shape these meanings.

2. Social Construction of Space Theory – To explore how social and cultural contexts influence perceptions and uses of living spaces like nano flats.

---

Comparison of Research Methods: Quantitative (Positivism) vs. Qualitative (Interpretivism) 

Aspect	Quantitative (Questionnaire & Structured Interview)	Qualitative (Focus Group & In-depth Interview)
Philosophical Approach	Positivism: objective measurement, statistical analysis	Interpretivism: subjective understanding, context-rich interpretation
Data Type	Numerical, standardized, easily comparable	Textual, descriptive, contextually rich
Sample Size	Larger sample sizes for generalizability	Smaller, purposive samples for in-depth insights
Data Collection	Structured, with closed-ended questions	Open-ended discussions and interviews encouraging elaboration
Analysis	Statistical analysis, hypothesis testing	Thematic, narrative, or discourse analysis
Strengths	Allows measurement of trends and patterns	Captures deep, nuanced understandings
	Easier to generalize findings if sample representative	Explores complex social and cultural contexts
	Efficient data collection from many respondents	Allows flexibility in exploring unexpected themes
Weaknesses	May overlook meanings behind numeric data	Findings may lack generalizability due to smaller samples
	Limited depth on personal experiences and context	Time and resource intensive to collect and analyze data
	Risk of overlooking subjective views and rich detail	Data interpretation can be subjective and influenced by researcher bias

 

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.