1September2005INF5220 - Qualitative Research Methods1 Overview on Research Methods Inf5220

1September2005 INF5220 - Qualitative Research Methods 1

Overview on Research Methods

Inf5220


Quantitative research methods natural science natural phenomena IS research: surveys, structured interviews

Qualitative research methods social science social and cultural phenomena


“Qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live. The goal of understanding a phenomenon from the point of view of the participants and its particular social and institutional context is largely lost when textual data are quantified. “

(Meyers – 1997)


Philosophical perspectives

Positivist Interpretive

Qualitative Research

Critical

Underlying philosophical assumptions


Positivist Research

Social sciences should endeavour to emulate the most advanced of the natural sciences (physics)

Reality is objectively given Reality can be described by measurable

properties – independent of the observer and his instruments

Theory testing Variables: emphasis on quantitative data statistical tools and packages are an essential

element


Example

We test three practitioner theories-in-use of business process redesign derived from the business process reengineering (BPR) literature using a positivist case study of a U.S. company that undertook BPR.

The empirical testing involves observations of a major information technology (IT) enabled reengineering initiative at a real company.

We, therefore, reject SS1.SS2: Effective redesign of processes can be

accomplished only if a balanced team undertakes redesign.


Interpretive Research

Aim: to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them

interpretive methods of research in IS are "aimed at producing an understanding of the context of the information system, and the process whereby the information system influences and is influenced by the context"

not predefine dependent and independent variables, but focuses on the full complexity of human sense making as the situation emerges


Example

This paper presents a study of the development of a standard EPR system and its implementation in the National Hospital in Oslo, Norway.

The research began with a focus on the implementation process, and in particular, we were interested in understanding how existing information systems and work practices influenced the implementation process, how difficulties were emerging, what the sources of such difficulties were, and what roles the various actors involved in the process played.


Critical Research

social reality is historically constituted and that it is produced and reproduced by people

People’s ability to do constrained by various forms of social, cultural and political domination

It focuses on the oppositions, conflicts and contradictions in contemporary society, and seeks to be emancipatory (i.e. it should help to eliminate the causes of alienation and domination)


Example

”In this study, Smith (1988) was concerned with what impact the introduction of electronic point of sale systems in retail organization (food shop chain) would have on retail service workers. He was interested in understanding how the systems would influence the labor process and in particular the relationship between labor and management”


Qualitative Research methods

Research method: ”strategy of enquiry which moves from the underlying philosophical assumptions to research design and data collection”

Action researchCase studyEthnographyGrounded theory


Action Research

Contribution to the practical concerns: diagnosing a problem situation, planning action steps, implementing and evaluating outcomes. Evaluation leads to a new diagnosis…

joint collaboration: together with the people experiencing the problem

Contextuality and participation Vision: researchers have a vision on how the

reality should be – not value free


Example

“The Health Information Systems Program (HISP) is a large-scale, ongoing action research project that has as its primary goal to design, implement, and sustain Health Information System following a participatory approach to support local management of health care delivery and information flows in selected health facilities, districts, and provinces, and its further spread within and across developing countries”


Case Study

A case study is an empirical inquiry that: investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its

real-life context, boundaries between phenomenon and context are not

clearly evident IS research: the study of information systems in

organizations (not just technical issues) Case study research can be positivist,

interpretive, or critical. Significance: a single case? Completeness: boundaries?


Example

The empirical material comes from an interpretive case study on the heart transplantation process, and is set at the only hospital in Norway performing transplantations. Data have been collected over four rounds of fieldwork started in January 2002 and ended in September 2003. The empirical material presents a perspective on the process focused on the production and use of the waiting list for heart transplantation. Starting point for data collection in the field has been the unfolding of the organization of work around the process by telling about the different “agenda, concerns, responsibilities and conventions” of people involved.


Ethnography

from social and cultural anthropology: ethnographers spend a significant amount of time in the field.

Ethnographers immerse themselves in the lives of the people they study: Social context Cultural context

Basic resource: participant observationResearcher’s identity


Example

The main method for data collection has been participatory observation. The authors have been members of the project organization and the first author spent approximately 50% of her time for one and a half years (from the summer of 1998 to the end of 1999) as a participant observer at one of the sites. The other site has also been visited several times for parallel observations. The first author participated in the technical support work for most of the transmissions in this particular project. This work includes planning, actual preparation, and set-up, as well as assistance during transmissions.


Grounded Theory

to develop theory that is grounded in dataEmergence: aim is to understand the

research situtation Special emphasis on continuous interplay

between data collection and analysisLiterature becomes relevant as data

emerge: no preconceived theory


Example

In this paper, the implementation of CASE tools is understood as a specific case of technology-based organizational change. As such, the core research question is: What are the critical elements that shape the organizational changes associated with the adoption and use of CASE tools? In answering this question, I first describe the empirical findings that emerged from my grounded theory study of two organizations that implemented CASE tools in their systems development operations. I then develop a theoretical framework that conceptualizes the findings in terms of three central categories: strategic conduct, institutional context, and change process.


Variety of qualitative methods/techniques

ObservationAnalysing text and documentsInterviewsRecording and transcribingVideo analysis


To sum up

Philosophical assumptions: positivist, interpretive, critical

Research methods: Action research, Case study, Ethnography, Grounded theory

Data collection techniques: observations, interviews, texts analysis..

Not idealtypes!


Documents

1September2005INF5220 - Qualitative Research Methods1 Overview on Research Methods Inf5220