Hello everyone, I am John Yuzhong SHEN. Under Prof. Rowlinson’s supervision I obtained PhD degree from Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), in November 2013. From February 2017 onward, I am a lecturer in Shanghai Normal University. I am honored to be invited by Ms. Sue Sujuan ZHANG to present you how I survived my journey to PhD.
My research topic was how to generate a positive safety climate on construction sites so that construction workers’ safety behavior can sustain. Basically, it dealt with factors at individual and collective levels which affect construction workers’ behavior, perception, and cognition. To accomplish this investigation, it would need theoretical support from domains such as social psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, organizational behavior, management, and construction project management. I chose a mixed methods approach to deal with this topic, not only because of the request by my supervisor but also because of my belief that multiple methods of different nature help gain a comprehensive understanding with regard to the topic given its complexity. What follows is how I finished the PhD journey, from choosing a topic to thesis writing.
Choosing a Topic
Choosing a topic is not an easy task. In the first half year, I focused on a topic with which I was admitted into the HKU PhD program. I read through quite a wide range of literature related to that topic, but still could not locate a specific enough research problem. Yet another fundamental issue which also compelled me to make a change was that, the topic was rarely implemented in practice. That is to say, even though you could establish a conceptual model, you could not validate with empirical evidence. So, I had to choose another topic.
With dismay, I consulted with the supervisor. As an expert in construction safety, he suggested me to try a topic in construction safety management. Furthermore, he told me that a research topic in management shall begin with a practical issue which needs urgent resolution. As I had no industrial experience, I could not locate the practical issue. To compensate for that deficiency, I talked to industry practitioners and read through industry reports. After three months’ reading, I came to know that unsafe acts were a primary cause of construction accidents and creating a positive safety climate help hinder unsafe acts. However, existing research rarely dealt with how to create a positive safety climate, which then I decided to investigate.
Research Methods
After locating the research topic, choosing appropriate research methods seems critical. Underlying various research methods there are ontology and epistemology, i.e., the philosophical stance determines which methods you would use.
As safety climate is widely accepted as employees’ “shared perceptions with regard to safety policies, procedures, and practices”, it is reasonable to infer that safety climate is first and foremost a social construct, i.e., it is derived from employees’ interpretation of safety infrastructure in the workplace. Therefore, qualitative research methods, such as interview and archival analysis, which are based on social constructionism, would be appropriate at the first investigation stage. When testing a hypothetical model regarding safety climate, quantitative methods, such as questionnaire survey, which are based on empiricism, are considered appropriate. To validate findings from the above two parts, a case study which uses both qualitative and quantitative methods seems appropriate. This was the exact research approach I used in the PhD thesis. Surely, this is just one option. But the most important thing is that, the research methods chosen are dependent on the research problem, rather than the other way around.
In choosing and using research methods, I strongly suggest you talk to senior colleagues who have used similar research approaches. Their advice could save you much time and effort.
Knowledge Base
Reading and learning cannot be emphasized more during the PhD journey. I was a totally new stranger to safety climate, which basically is a social psychology construct and serves as a managerial tool to curb unsafe behaviors. That is to say, before I study it I need to be familiar with theories from psychology, social psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, organizational behavior and management. The context was the construction industry, and therefore I need to read through relevant literature in construction management.
To master and use research methods needs extensive reading and learning. Statistics is the basic tool to deal with responses from questionnaire survey. How to do interview and content analysis is another topic you need to be familiarized with. In one word, the essential and most important task in pursuit of PhD degree is to read, read, and read.
Thesis Writing
Thesis writing is quite difficult, especially for non-native English speaker like me. Here I strongly suggest a book about writing style (Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4th ed.). Needham Heights, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.). You can refer to this book when you are writing.
Avoid using long sentences in the thesis and the reasons are twofold. First, it would be easy for you the author to check if there are logical errors. Second, it would be easy for readers to read and appreciate your thesis.
Final Remarks
The PhD journey is full of frustration, stress, and even despair, but also full of hope, sense of achievement and even self-actualization. So, just enjoy your journey which finally leads you to somewhere you are longing for.
