Assessment of architectural research domains among students in Master of Architecture program

• Main Authors: Abdullah, Fadzidah, Sanusi, Aliyah Nur Zafirah, Azmin, Aida Kesuma, Asif, Nayeem, Yusof, Zeenat Begam
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: Ocerint 2022
• Subjects: BPN Islamic art and architecture; BPN66.5 Islam and architecture. Sustainable architecture.; LB Theory and practice of education; LB2300 Higher Education; LB3201 School architecture and equipment; N Fine Arts; NA Architecture; NA1 General; NA1995 Architecture as a profession; NA2000 Study and teaching. Research; NA2599 Architectural criticism
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/97309/1/97309_Assessment%20of%20architectural%20research.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/97309/; https://www.ocerints.org/darch22_e-publication/papers/Fadzidah%20Abdullah1.pdf; https://doi.org/10.46529/darch.202207

Throughout the study duration of an architect-to-be, undertaking research has been one of the essential methods of students' architectural knowledge seeking. Architectural schools all around the globe necessitate research competency as part of the graduation requirement both for undergraduate and post-graduate students. The importance of research and writing in architectural education is apparent because having the competency to do research and writing could develop students' analytical thinking. Research competency is also essential for architectural students to improve their problem-solving proficiency. Students often choose and embark on research without much prior knowledge of the selected research subject. Hence, the vast scope of architectural research domains is mostly not well-known. Students also have difficulty understanding and choosing appropriate research methodology for their research. This situation often results in hardship for them to complete their research on time. Therefore, this study had the objective to identify the domains of architectural research among Master of Architecture students in International Islamic University Malaysia. The second objective of this research was to examine the trend of students' research methods in completing their master's degrees. This research used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to achieve the objectives. Content analysis was used to analyse the relevant subject literature and examine students' submitted dissertations. Meanwhile, this research employed descriptive analysis of quantitative data to illustrate the findings in diagrammatic forms. This research found that architectural research is unique because it has a wide breadth of relevant knowledge that encompasses various disciplines related to almost all aspects of human life. This research also found that students had minimal understanding of the availability of various research methods. Most of the students used the most common methods they were familiar with, such as simulation and case study methodologies. Hopefully, the findings could guide future students to explore other research methods and have accurate preparation before embarking on architectural research.