Quantitative research methods in public policy - Essay Example

Central Library Expansion Research Design Analysis Designs and requirements of a building frequentlychange a lot. The City Manager of San Antonio understands this aspect and has proposed expansion of the library services offered by Central Library. The design should incorporate numerous changes within the building design and the requirements of the institution including the stakeholders of the institution. For example, the students may require certain services that are not required by other stakeholders.

Therefore, the design should integrate these numerous and divergent factors in formulation and implementation of the expansion requirements. In addition, the design should incorporate current structures around it and also the environmental requirements. Environmental sustainability is encouraged in new designs and this aspect should be considered and integrated in the design process. For example, the design may consider natural lighting rather than utilization of energy in lighting the building.

Hence, the design should introduce and include modern design strategies that champion environment sustainability and socioeconomic factors. Important VariablesIn conducting a research, it is appropriate to identify the variables that can impact the design process and application of the structure (Creswell 71). Expansion of an existing building some requires understanding the previous design of the building and whether the building had original expansion plans. Some of the variables to be considered include:Environmental audit - sustainability of the environment is important and it is important to include the stakeholders within this sector in understanding the crucial components to be included in the building; for example, choosing the appropriate natural lighting design.

User’s requirements – the expectations of the users and requirements should be collected to understand better on how the new building should look like and what devices and furniture should be included. Legislations guiding design and construction industry- The state and federal government have guidelines on how to design and building infrastructures. It is crucial to include the government in collecting the data to provide an avenue of understanding better the regulations and directives of designing and expanding buildings.

Application of the building- the use of the building should be understood. For example, some libraries have numerous resources; whether the resources in the expanded sector may affect the original resources on the older building. Devices and technological requirements of the building- since technological advancement has become a major issue, it is important to integrate technological components in the building. The users of the library should be comfortable to employ technology in accessing the required resources.

Traffic management and emergency response requirements – the building should be safe and response to disaster or emergency should be integrated; for example, fire suppression measures should be included. Mixed Method ApproachNumerous methods exist in which it may be used to collected appropriate data. For the purpose of this design, the most appropriate approach is mixed method (Creswell 16). Mixed method is appropriate because it brings together both qualitative and quantitative requirements in understanding the requirements and application of the building.

For example, some information may be quantitative in nature such as how many people may visit the facility at a given time or how many computers are required. However, other information may be qualitative in nature such as the aspirations and expectations of the users. Therefore, employing mixed method would prevent complications that may be associated with relying only on qualitative or quantitative approach. Works CitedCreswell, John. Educational research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.