IT3010 / TDT39Research Methodology

Week 7: Research paradigms

Name, title of the presentation

Figure 3.1 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

The research paradigm affects all our choices

Main philosophical paradigms• Positivism

• Interpretivism

• Critical research

• Fundamental world views that will affect research questions, strategy, data collection and analysis methods.

• Need to know the paradigm in order to properly evaluate a research result.

Two properties

• Ontology: Fundamental beliefs about the empirical world we conduct research on.

• Epistemology: A high level outline of the reasoning process by which researcher perform their logical and empirical research.

Positivist research (scientific method)

• Two basic assumptions:– Ontologically: Our world is ordered and regular, not random. There

exist universal laws that can be studied and understood.– Epistemologically: We can investigate the world objectively through

experiments.

• The scientific method seeks to find all the regular laws or patterns in our universe.– Mainly through experiments that are design to refute hypotheses.– Refuting hypotheses is much more economical than proving them

(example of the black swan).

Scientific method: Principles

• Reductionism: breaking complex things down into smaller things that are more easily studied.

• Repeatability: in order to eliminate luck, bias, faulty design and equipment, etc.

• Refutation: either by showing that an experiment is not repeatable, or by showing evidence that refutes the hypotheses.

The scientific method cycle

• Formulate theory about some observed aspect of the world.

• Derive hypothesis.• Test hypothesis objectively.• Observe results.• Confirm or refute hypothesis.• Accept, modify or reject theory.

Strategies and methods common in scientific method• Main strategies:

– Experiments.– Surveys.

• Main data generation methods:– Structured interviews and questionnaires.– Structured observations.

• Often quantitative data collection and measurement.

Main philosophical paradigms• Positivism

• Interpretivism

• Critical research

• Fundamental world views that will affect research questions, strategy, data collection and analysis methods.

• Need to know the paradigm in order to properly evaluate a research result.

Interpretive research in IS

• Concerned with understanding the social context of an information system.

• No proving or refuting of hypotheses.• Tries to explain connections among different

contextual parameters, e.g. influences, power, attitudes…

Interpretive research in IS

• Multiple subjective realities: There is no one truth.• Dynamic, socially constructed meaning: Meaning

passes several "payers" of interpretation.• Researcher reflexivity: Researchers are not neutral.• Study of people in their natural social settings:

Artificial settings are not interesting for real understanding.

• Qualitative data analysis: words, metaphors, images, stories.

• Multiple interpretations: researchers offer more than one explanation.

Critical research

• "Concerned with identifying power relations, conflicts and contradictions, and empowering people to eliminate them as sources of alienation and domination." Oates, (2012).

• Common themes:– Emancipation: freeing people from power relations.– Critique of tradition: do not accept the status quo, but question and

challenge it.– Non-performative intent: reject managerial benefit as the only

output.– Critique of technological determinism: challenge the view that

everyone has to adapt to the technology.– Reflexivity: question the existence of objective knowledge.

Figure 3.1 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

The research paradigm affects all our choices

Figure 3.1 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

The research paradigm affects all our choices

Positivism

Figure 3.1 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

The research paradigm affects all our choices

Interpretivism

Figure 3.1 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

The research paradigm affects all our choices

Critical research

Next week

• Book chapter 10. Case studies.• Intro assignment 3.• Group 7 presents paper 7.