Study of the Meaning of Dwelling Features Based on Development of the Means-End Model

Recent research in the field of dwelling studies combined with the integration of economic models has led to the creation of new methods for studying the properties of housing. The strength of these studies is to use it to review the different levels of housing planning. The necessity of this research is to develop a framework by which they can predict the needs and priorities of individuals in choosing dwelling and their implications for housing programs. Considering the exploratory nature of the problem of studying the meaning of dwelling features, the research method of this paper will be qualitative and based on rational reasoning. The process of collecting, analyzing the research data consists of two main stages: "collecting" and then "analyzing the data". The process of data collection includes the stages of research sampling, extraction of spatial features of the environment, extraction of behavioral characteristics, questionnaire design, structured semi-structured interviews and finally monitoring and review of observation and interview based data. After selecting appropriate research samples, the physical characteristics of the environment were documented by drawing architectural maps. Therefore, after performing the above steps and relying on the concepts of the theoretical framework of the research, a number of exploratory interviews were conducted to understand the categories in question. The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire for semi-structured interviews in accordance with the means-end model. The interview process, based on the means-end model, was conducted according to the recording of spatial features and characteristics of housing behavior settings and research questionnaire. Information collected in the form of spatial order maps, diagrams of behavior settingss, images of environments and activities, content of interviews and researcher's perceptions of observation and interviews were analyzed and reviewed for its content. The information encoding approach by the above method is based on "open, axial and selective" encoding, which is used in this study. In the first step, all data were considered as "open coding". In the second step, the data was coded as "selective" in the analysis of spatial data, behavioral data analysis, and spatial regulation change data analysis. In the third step, the analytical data were "axially coded" to obtain the analytical points to conclude the research. The means-end model that has been used in the field of marketing has been used and developed in recent years through research in recent decades. The means-end model is a model that tries to attribute individual choices to their fundamental values and goals. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework of this study, the application of this method has been done in a case study of the housing environment, that the tangible process of explaining the propositions and the sequence diagram of the consequence-meaning of the features through the coding of research data within the framework of the means-end model be understandable. What the research is addressing is the need for new approaches in the field of housing studies using the means-end model, which state, how to optimize the process of using the means-end model in housing research.