scholarly journals Handling Interpretation and Representation in Multilingual Research: A Meta-study of Pragmatic Issues Resulting from the Use of Multiple Languages in a Qualitative Information Systems Research Work

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilse Baumgartner
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Qualitative Information ◽  
Research Product ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Multilingual Research

Although the number of multilingual qualitative research studies appears to be growing, investigations concerned with methodological issues arising from the use of several languages within a single research are still very scarce. Most of these seem to deal exclusively with issues related to the use of interpreters and translators in qualitative research (e.g., Temple & Edwards, 2002; Temple, Edwards & Alexander, 2006; Edwards, 1998; Temple & Young 2004). Methodological investigations going beyond pure translation dilemmas in qualitative research are, however, almost non-existent. The reason for this seems to be simple: the situation where the researcher possesses mother-tongue fluency in all or most of the languages used in a particular study – and, thus, is in a position to probe interpretational and representational problematics related to the multilingual character of this study with an adequate depth – is very rare. The author of this paper has used her recent qualitative research work in the area of Information Systems as the basis for a meta-study in which she investigates selected methodological issues resulting from the use of five different languages within the frame of a single research work. This paper specifically focuses on challenges encountered and observations made concerning three different issues, namely, how to choose the interview languages in a situation where the prospective interviewees have very diverse ethnic backgrounds, which languages to use for the data analysis in a situation where the data has been collected in several different languages, and how to determine the most appropriate stage of the research for transitioning from the languages used to collect and analyze the data to the language of the final research product. Although this meta-study is based on an Information Systems research work and is, thus, specifically addressing qualitative Information Systems researchers conducting multilingual research and encountering language-related issues in their work, this study might also be of interest to any researcher using qualitative research methodologies and employing more than one language to collect data, conduct data analysis, and craft the final research product.

Qualitative Research in Information Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 291-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gordon Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Qualitative Research Methods ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Research Questions

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the researcher, who already is inclined to apply qualitative research, with an overview of methods. A representative sample of qualitative research methods is presented, which may be employed when conducting information systems research. These methods include Action Research, Case Study, Ethnography, Grounded Theory, and Narrative Inquiry. Examples of these research methods are also included, which provide a description of the method and references to more detailed presentations. Researchers should thoroughly explore these methods and become fully cognizant of when to appropriately apply each method. It is important to ensure that the chosen method addresses the research questions and supports the research objectives.

Qualitative Methods in IS Research

2011 ◽  
pp. 3171-3173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Trauth
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Is Research ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Interpretive Methods ◽  
Words And Images ◽  
Key Aspects

As information technologies have evolved, so too has our understanding of the information systems that employ them. A significant part of this evolving understanding is the role of the human contexts within which information systems are situated. This, in turn, has led to the need for appropriate methods of studying information systems in their context of use. Just as decisions about information systems need to be considered within their contexts of use, so also do choices about the appropriate research methodologies to employ for studying them. Increasingly, qualitative methods are chosen as an appropriate method for studying contextual aspects of information systems development, use and impact. Qualitative research refers to research methods that engage in the interpretation of words and images rather than the calculation of numbers. These methods include: ethnography, case study, action research, interviews, and text analysis (i.e., conversation analysis, discourse analysis, and hermeneutics). Qualitative research can be theory-driven in much the same way as quantitative analysis. However, it can also employ grounded theory techniques in order to develop theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Following some early uses of qualitative methods in the 1980s (e.g., Benbasat et al., 1987; Kaplan & Duchon, 1988; Lee, 1989; Mumford et al., 1985), there has been a significant growth in the use of qualitative methods for information systems research since the 1990s (e.g., Journal of Information Technology, 1998; Lee et al., 1997; MIS Quarterly, 1999, 2000; Nissen et al., 1991; Trauth, 2001). Accompanying the increased use of qualitative methods for IS research has been a discussion of various methodological issues. Among the key aspects of this dialogue are discussions about the suitability of qualitative methods for various types of research and issues arising from a particular type of qualitative methods: interpretive methods. This article presents a reflection on some these discussions in the form of a consideration of five factors that can influence the choice of qualitative (particularly interpretive) methods for information systems research.

Writing Case Studies in Information Systems Research

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heico van der Blonk
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research

Case study research can be reported in different ways. This paper explores the various ways in which researchers may choose to write down their case studies and then introduces a subsequent typology of writing case studies. The typology is based on a 2 × 2 matrix, resulting in four forms of writing case studies: chronology, play, biography and voices. The four forms are characterized and discussed and some methodological issues concerning the writing of case studies are highlighted.

Positioning the Institutional Perspective in Information Systems Research

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Mignerat ◽  
Suzanne Rivard
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
It Adoption ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Is Research ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
It Innovation ◽  
Is Development

In recent years, a number of studies have adopted institutional theory as a perspective for examining Information Systems (IS)/Information Technology (IT)-related phenomena such as IT innovation, IS development and implementation, and IT adoption and use. The objective of this paper is to take stock of how institutional theory is being used in IS research. To this end, it first proposes a conceptual framework to encapsulate the main concepts of institutional theory. Second, it synthesizes the findings of 53 articles that adopted an institutional perspective to study IS/IT phenomena. Finally, it identifies conceptual and methodological issues that researchers need to address when adopting an institutional perspective.

A Bridge Too Far?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte P. Lee ◽  
Kjeld Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cooperative Work ◽  
Computer Supported Cooperative Work ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Infrastructures ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Critical Investigation

The study of computing infrastructures has grown significantly due to the rapid proliferation and ubiquity of large-scale IT-based installations. At the same time, recognition has also grown of the usefulness of such studies as a means for understanding computing infrastructures as material complements of practical action. Subsequently the concept of “infrastructure” (or “information infrastructures,” “cyberinfrastructures,” and “infrastructuring”) has gained increasing importance in the area of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) as well as in neighboring areas such as Information Systems research (IS) and Science and Technology Studies (STS). However, as such studies have unfolded, the very concept of “infrastructure” is being applied in different discourses, for different purposes, in myriad different senses. Consequently, the concept of “infrastructure” has become increasingly muddled and needs clarification. The chapter presents a critical investigation of the vicissitudes of the concept of “infrastructure” over the last 35 years.

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