The research paradigm is the foundation for the construction of the design research model. This study starts from the research paradigm to construct a design research model: the Research Tree Diagram. The crown part of the model presents the different levels of design research from five aspects: ontology, epistemology, methodology, approaches to theory development, research strategies, and data sample ethics. The root of the model shows the influence sources of design studies as an interdisciplinary field. As an information visualization tool, the Research Tree Diagram graphically delineates the multifaceted nature of design research, enabling researchers to systematically comprehend its intrinsic logic and interconnections. For novice researchers, it serves as a pedagogical scaffold to rapidly grasp design research methodologies. The model’s efficacy is validated through a case study that demonstrate its practical application in structuring and executing design research projects. This example illustrates how the diagram facilitates the alignment of theoretical frameworks with empirical practices, ensuring methodological coherence.

This paper explores attitudes towards Muslims concentration areas in Sydney and Melbourne, two largest Australian cities. Survey data is used (N=1020), collected online and by phone, from people who lived in either ‘metro areas’ (within metropolitan Sydney or Melbourne) or in ‘target areas’, designated as Muslim concentrations based on census data. We analyze quantitative data to establish how attitudes towards Muslims residential concentrations relate to demographic, socio-economic and residential characteristics of respondents. Our data show that a typical ‘concerned citizen’ can be described as older, Christian, lower-educated, unsatisfied with their income and living outside Muslim concentrations. We use qualitative data (open-ended narrative responses) to elucidate why people hold Islamophobic views and how they justify them. We find that non-Muslims who live outside Muslim concentration areas are more concerned about them than those who reside in them and therefore encounter Muslims on a daily basis. This finding supports the ‘contact theory’ of ethnic relations. The article contributes to the body of research into Islamophobia in Western countries.

With the widespread application of qualitative research methods in social sciences, grounded theory, as one of the core methods, has coding quality that directly affects the validity and credibility of the theory. The article first elaborates on the connotations and evaluation dimensions of coding quality, pointing out that high-quality coding should meet the requirements of grounded theory in both the process and result dimensions. The main challenges faced in the coding process are the subjectivity of researchers, the complexity of qualitative data, and the lack of unified coding standards. By synthesizing existing research, this paper proposes a systematic coding quality assurance theoretical model, aiming to improve the standardization and scientificity of the coding process. The model emphasizes five key dimensions: researcher quality, coding strategies, reflective practice, collaboration mechanisms, and technical support, and explores how they jointly contribute to the improvement of coding quality. The interrelationships between these dimensions are explicitly discussed to demonstrate their interconnected nature and mutual influence. In addition, the article also discusses the innovativeness and theoretical significance of the model, as well as future research directions, providing new theoretical references and practical guidance for coding quality in qualitative research.