Planning Students’ Conceptions of Research

Title

Planning Students’ Conceptions of Research

 Author

Pojani, Dorina (University of Queensland)
Kimpton, Anthony (University of Queensland)
Rocco, Roberto (TU Delft Spatial Planning and Strategy) ORCID 0000-0002-0331-7295

 Date

2019

 Abstract

This study examines the conceptualizations of planning research by more than two hundred Master’s students enrolled in planning schools located throughout four continents. The study is set in the context of theories on the two main traditions of planning thought: “planning as a social science” and “planning as design.” The findings reveal that planning students typically have one of four conceptions of planning research: (1) research as trading of ideas, (2) research as gathering of evidence, (3) research as precursor to design, and (4) research as rhetoric. While the planning schools included in this study have diverse orientations (along the design–social science continuum), our findings suggest that planning students most often conceptualize this discipline as a social science. The orientation of a planning student’s current school or department appears to be more important in determining a student’s conception research than his or her undergraduate study major. While planning curricula are becoming more homogenized around the world, some national traditions persist which then affect how students regard planning research.

 Subject

planning education
planning paradigms
planning students
research conceptions

 To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2c6e1d10-e0d4-44e1-9123-c6b70ed82765

 DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X19884107

 Embargo date

2020-05-13

 ISSN

0739-456X

 Source

Journal of Planning Education and Research, 43 (2), 402-415

 Bibliographical note

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

 Part of collection

Institutional Repository

 Document type

journal article

 Rights

© 2019 Dorina Pojani, Anthony Kimpton, Roberto Rocco
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