Qualitative Research in Information Technology

1. Qualitative Research in Information Technology Liaquat Hossain School of IT The University of Sydney

2. Outline • phases in research • from research problem to practice? • research approaches • alternative research methods • qualitative research

3. Phases in research • Research problem • Earlier literature • More detailed research problem • Research design • Data collection and analyses • Conclusions

4. Orthodox Understanding #1 problems, thoughts, interests exploratory research confirmatory research (Hirschheim, 2002)

5. Orthodox Understanding #2 problems research knowledge, understanding practice (Hirschheim, 2002)

6. The Reality: The Vicious Cycle problems research knowledge, understanding practice (Hirschheim, 2002)

7. Four-Tiered Research Model Paradigms (Functionalism, Interpretivism, Radical Structuralism, Neohumanism) Approaches (Language Analysis, Phenomenology, Action-Oriented, Historical, Conceptual, …) Methods (Ethnography, Case Study, Action research, Field Research, Lab. Experiment, Model building, simulation, ….) Techniques (Hirschheim, 2002)

8. Research Approaches • Two main classes of approaches: • Theory ‘testing’ – apply theory to ‘read’ the data • Theory ‘emergent’ – look for ‘patterns’, understanding emerges from the data (Hirschheim, 2002)

9. Combining Approaches • Case study/action research leads to • Research question leads to • Theory building leads to • Theory testing with lab. experiments and • Theory testing with field experiments leads to • Theory extension and feedback loop to Theory testing (Galliers, 1992) see also (Mingers, 2001)

10. Research approaches • Mathematical approaches • Approaches studying reality • Research stressing what is reality • Conceptual-analytical approaches • approaches for empirical studies • theory-testing approaches • theory-creating approaches • Research stressing utility of artifacts • artifact-building approaches • artifacts-evaluating approaches (Järvinen & Järvinen, 1999)

11. Alternative Research Methods • Constructivist Methods • conceptual development and technical development • Nomothetic Methods (“Confirmatory”) • field research, surveys, lab experiments … using the hypothetico-deductive method • Idiographic Methods (“Exploratory”) • case studies and action research (Hirschheim, 2002)

14. Plausible inference • Logical inference can be used only when one has complete information about the phenomenon to be modeled • In research situation one has • theoretical background • results from previous studies • some data • For which of these there exist complete information? Plausible inference is inference with uncertain and incomplete information (Tirri, 2002)

15. Qualitative Research • Methods: • action research • case study research • ethnography • grounded thoeory • Data sources: • observation and participant observation (gield work) • interviews and questionnaires • documents and texts • reseracher’s impressions and reactions • Modes of analysis: • hermeneutics • semiotics • narrative and metaphor

16. Philosophical perspectives • positivist research • interpretive research • critical research

17. Underlying assumptions (Myers, http://www.qual.auckland.ac.nz)

18. Questions?