Exam Flashcards
[wyk.5] What is QUALITATIVE INQUIRY (3)
- For studying social and cultural phenomena of interest.
- Understand the context they are part of from the participant point of view.
- Conducted in natural settings
[wyk.5] When is Qualitative research used? (5)
- New topic
- Lack (or only a few) of previous research
- Explorative
- When phenomena needs to be investigated when applied to a new type of sample participants
- When phenomena needs to be addressed with a new theory
[wyk.5] Characteristics of Qualitative research (5)
- In natural settings
- Researcher is an instrument for gathering the data
- Multiple sources of data
- Uncover the participants’ meanings
- Emergent design
[wyk.5] Qualitative strategies of inquiry (3)
- Etnography
- Grounded theory
- Case study
[wyk.5] What is CASE STUDY (6)
- No common agreement on what it is in the literature
- The objective is to add knowledge about the individuals, groups, organizations, about social or political phenomena
- Study about complex phenomena in their (real-life) context to gain holistic understanding
- Boundaries between phenomenon and context not clearly visible
- Using multiple sources of evidence
- Researcher exercises no control
[wyk.5] When to use Case Study? (6)
- Focus of the study is on How? and Why?
- Exploration of phenomena in natural setting
- Researcher does not control the study object
- No specifications of variables before
- When the context is highly related and relevant for investigated phenomena
- Boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clear
[wyk.5] Philosophical paradigms of Case Studies (3)
- Positivist
- Interpretive
- Critical
[wyk5] Case study: research design POSITIVISM
Design is pre-defined before the research starts
[wyk5] Case study: research design INTERPRETIVISM
Design is flexible, the initial theories and assumptions can be modified
[wyk5] Types of Case Studies (3)
- Intrinsic
- Instrumental
- Collective Case
[wyk5] INTRINSIC Case Study
Researcher is personally interested in the case. Interest lies in the case itself, not in using it to understand something bigger
[wyk5] INSTRUMENTAL Case Study
To understand the bigger research question. Understanding the case is the mean to understand something bigger.
[wyk5] COLLECTIVE Case Study
Several cases and each one of them is INSTRUMENTAL to understand something bigger
[wyk5] Multiple case study
Quintain - A target, phenomenon we want to study
Degree of similarity between case studies
Common characteristics
[wyk5] Data collection -Multiple data sources for the case study (4)
- Interviews
- Documents
- Archival records
- Observations
[wyk5] Qualitative validity (6)
RESEARCH checks for the accuracy of findings by certain procedures
- Triangulation of data sources
- Use member checking
- Rich description
- Spend prolonged time in the field
- Present negative or discrepant information
- Peer debriefing
[wyk5] Qualitative reliability (3)
PROCEDURES are consistent
- check transcripts
- in teams, coordinate the communication among those involved in coding
- continuous comparison of data with codes
[wyk5] Qualitative trustworthiness
How much the researcher is able to persuade the audience that the findings of the research are convincing and plausible
- Transferability - how the results can be transferred to other contexts or settings
- Credibility - findings based on real data, interpretation of data mirrors participants’ views
- Dependability - continuous assessment of findings over time in terms of consistency
- Confirmability - degree of confirmation by other researchers
[wyk5] Advantages of case studies (2)
- Holistic view on the phenomenon, getting an understanding from multiple angles
- Strength lies in the depth of the research
[wyk5] Disadvantages of case studies (3)
- Little generalizations whereas it is definitely not statistically accurate
- Take longer time
- The researcher’s beliefs affect the results interpretation
[wyk6] Ethnography (7)
- Description and interpretation of the culture and the social structure of a social group
- Description of life in the community in detail
- Researcher has to become accepted member of the group and participate in the cultural life and practices of the group
- Study duration is long
- Studies are conducted in the natural environment of the group
- Based on social anthropology
- Based mainly on observations and interviews
[wyk6] Traditional (social anthropological) ethnography (3)
- Naturalistic
- Prolonged
- Immersive
[wyk6] Information Systems related ethnography (3)
- Not naturalistic, but in natural real world settings
- Does not have to be prolonged
- Immersive
[wyk6] Principles of ethnography in IS research (4)
- Natural setting
- Holistic view
- Descriptive understanding
- Participants’ point of view
[wyk6] Common focus of ethnographical studies in IS (4)
- Corporate cultures
- Organizational roles
- Work practices
- The role of artefacts (physical or digital)
[wyk6] Ethnography in IS research provides
- domain knowledge
- overall view of complex settings (otherwise hard to obtain)
- multiple perspectives from variety of stakeholders
etc.
[wyk6] Data collection in Ethnography (4)
- Observations and notes taking
- Interviews
- Documents
- Photos/video
[wyk6] SHORTLY - what is Ethnography?
methodology
[wyk7] Iterative nature of research [Action research]
-> PLAN -> ACT -> OBSERVE -> REFLECT -> «<repeat!»>
[wyk7] Action research principles (5)
- The company/society/organization can be studied as a whole (social settings cannot be reduced!)
- Complex social processes can be studied best by introducing changes in the processes and observing its effects
- postpositivist, interpretitive philosophy
- CYCLIC and ITERATIVE!
- practical, problem-solving approach
Research approaches (3)
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
- Mixed methods
Research designs (3)
- Qualitative (e.g. ethnographies)
- Quantitative (e.g. experiments)
- Mixed methods (e.g. explanatory sequential)
Research methods (5)
- Questions
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Interpretation
- Validation
Philosophical worldviews (4)
- Postpositivist
- Constructivist
- Transformative
- Pragmatic
Postpositivism worldview (4)
- Determination
- Reductionism
- Empirical observation and measurement
- Theory verification
Constructivism worldview (4)
- Understanding
- Multiple participant meanings
- Social and historical construction
- Theory generation
Transformative worldview (4)
- Political
- Power and justice oriented
- Collaborative
- Change oriented
Pragmatic worldview (4)
- Consequences of actions
- Problem-centred
- Pluralistic
- Real-world practice oriented
[wyk7] Action research CYCLE
Plan -> colaborative analysis of social situation by the researcher and subjects
Act -> collaborative change experiments
[wyk7] Ideal settings for AR (3)
- The researcher is actively involved with expected benefit for both researcher and organization - active participant, not only observer
- the knowledge obtained can be immediately applied
- research is the link of theory and practice
[wyk7] Action research vs consulting (5)
- AR is focused on scientific gains rather than commercial
- AR commits both to the scientifical knowledge and to the client. Consulting only works for the client.
- AR collaborates more with the organization, whereas consulting prefers its own objective perspective
- AR recommends based on the theoretical framework. Consulting based on the previous experiences.
- AR improves by iterative change, consulting by thorough critical analysis
[wyk7] Action research shortcomings (2)
- Being confused with consulting when not stated clearly, the company might have totally different expectations and try to influence the research process
- Harder to control the outcome of the iterative process
[Wyk8] Positivist ontology and epistemology (7)
- Objective reality exist independent of humans
- Reality is relatively stable and orderly and it can be accurately described in models and theories
- The entities used in the theories can be identified in reality (variables)
- The variables can be measured and often also controlled separately (reduction)
- The entities can be measured objectively, independent of the observer and instruments
- Consequently, the measurements can be repeated / replicated by other researchers and the results can be generalized
- The ideal positivist inquiry is objective and value-free
[wyk8] Causal models
Independent variable X causes the change in the dependent variable Y.
X => Y
The experiment controls the X and the effect on Y is studied.
X => Z => Y
means the Z is intervening (mediating) variable
Real theoretical models are obviously more complex
[wyk8] Quantitative strategy - CAUSALITY in Experimental Studies
Research -> Explanations (THEORIES) -> Predictions (HYPOTHESES)
[wyk8] Experimental design (4)
- active manipulation of the independent variable (X)
- observation or measurement of dependent variable (Y)
- split in experimental and control groups
- random assignment to the equivalent groups [RANDOMIZATION]
[wyk8] Non-experimental design
- no active manipulation of an independent variable
- no random assignment to experimental and control groups
[wyk8] Quasi-experimental design
- include active manipulation of an independent variable
- no random assignment to experimental and control groups