Abstract
Qualitative researchers attempt to document observed phenomena relative to the meanings attributed to the phenomena by research participants involved in the specific incident or situation. Relatively recently, the information systems research community has responded to the call for more of an emphasis on conducting qualitative research. This paper presents three theories, Grounded Theory, Personal Construct Theory, and Narrative Inquiry, which may be considered within the qualitative perspective. In response to concerns about bias and reliability in qualitative research, data gathering techniques are described including the RepGrid technique and the Long Interview technique.
Table of Contents
This paper presents a discussion about conducting information systems research while taking a qualitative perspective to carrying out investigations. Within this qualitative perspective, selected theories are presented, including Grounded Theory, Personal Construct Theory, and Narrative Inquiry. The discussion shows the relationship of these theories to conducting qualitative research in information systems. These theories, developed in other fields of research, may be employed to further contribute to our understanding of the information systems discipline.
The discussion here does not present a comparison of qualitative and quantitative perspectives, nor a combination known as mixed mode (Nicholls et al., 2001) or pluralistic (Mingers, 2001). Indeed, it is the author’s contention that the research perspective, approach, and method should be determined as a consequence of deciding upon the objectives of the investigation. Thus, one particular perspective, approach, or method is neither better nor worse than another, just simply more or less appropriate within the specific circumstances and objectives of the research project.
The next section presents a definition of qualitative research and discusses why it is currently considered important as a perspective for conducting investigations in the information systems field. Following this discussion, the selected theories are outlined. The theories are subsequently further elucidated through the presentation and discussion of selected examples of published research that has employed these theories in the information systems subject area. Finally, conclusions that discuss how this perspective and these theories contribute to information systems theoretical foundations are presented.