Positivism in information systems: investigating paradox between theory and practice in IS researches

Beliefs and assumptions of IS researchers significantly affect research manner. Any research project is based on philosophical assumptions about world nature and how to gather knowledge about world. Often, these assumptions have been considered implicit and incontestable. By considering many researches conducted in IS field, little researches has done to discuss about research foundations and philosophical grounds. Paradigm gives solidarity to IS domain and distinguishes it from other field. The main objective of this paper is to examine effect of positivism in IS and identified strength aspects and challenges of applying positivism in this domain. Finally, the paper seeks to answer the paradox between theory and practice in philosophical assumptions in IS field. To gain this goal, the meta-analysis of articles related to IS paradigm is conducted. The results show while many IS philosophical papers criticised applying positivism in IS, yet this paradigm remain prevailing approach.

[1]  Rudy Hirschheim,et al.  A paradigmatic and methodological examination of information systems research from 1991 to 2001 , 2004, Inf. Syst. J..

[2]  William R. King,et al.  A meta-analysis of the technology acceptance model , 2006, Inf. Manag..

[3]  Kari Lukka,et al.  The roles and effects of paradigms in accounting research , 2010 .

[4]  Adam Lindgreen,et al.  What makes a good case study? A positivist review of qualitative case research published in Industrial Marketing Management, 1971–2006 , 2010 .

[5]  E. Buttery,et al.  Design of a Marketing Information System: Useful Paradigms , 1991 .

[6]  Suprateek Sarker,et al.  Using a positivist case research methodology to test a theory about IT-enabled business process redesign , 1998, ICIS '98.

[7]  Birger Hjørland.  Empiricism, rationalism and positivism in library and information science , 2005, J. Documentation.

[8]  Julia Richardson,et al.  Alternative paradigms and the study and practice of performance management and evaluation , 2011 .

[9]  Wanda J. Orlikowski,et al.  Studying Information Technology in Organizations: Research Approaches and Assumptions , 1991, Inf. Syst. Res..

[10]  D. Morgan,et al.  Sociological Paradigms and Organizational Analysis. , 1983 .

[11]  John Mingers,et al.  Real-izing information systems: critical realism as an underpinning philosophy for information systems , 2004, Inf. Organ..

[12]  Hyacinth S. Nwana,et al.  The computer science education crisis: fact or illusion? , 1997, Interact. Comput..

[13]  Sven Modell,et al.  Bridging the paradigm divide in management accounting research: The role of mixed methods approaches , 2010 .

[14]  Matthew Longshore Smith,et al.  Overcoming theory-practice inconsistencies: Critical realism and information systems research , 2006, Inf. Organ..

[15]  L. Willcocks,et al.  Social theory and philosophy for information systems , 2004 .

[16]  K. Henderson,et al.  Post-Positivism and the Pragmatics of Leisure Research , 2011 .

[17]  Zining Guo,et al.  A paradigmatic and methodological examination of knowledge management research: 2000 to 2004 , 2008, Decis. Support Syst..

[18]  R. Weber.  Editor's comments: the rhetoric of positivism versus interpretivism: a personal view , 2004 .

[19]  Graham Pervan,et al.  A critical analysis of decision support systems research , 2005, J. Inf. Technol..

[20]  C. Perry,et al.  Comprehensive criteria to judge validity and reliability of qualitative research within the realism paradigm , 2000 .

[21]  Margaret H. Vickers,et al.  Information technology development methodologies , 1999 .

[22]  Rudy Hirschheim,et al.  Four paradigms of information systems development , 1989, CACM.

[23]  John T. Stasko,et al.  Ambient Information Systems: Evaluation in Two Paradigms , 2007, Ambient Information Systems.

[24]  Ahmet H. Kirca,et al.  The use of meta-analysis in international business research: Its current status and suggestions for better practice , 2010 .

[25]  W. I. Al-Habil,et al.  Positivist and Phenomenological Research in American Public Administration , 2011 .

[26]  S. Davoudi.  The Legacy of Positivism and the Emergence of Interpretive Tradition in Spatial Planning , 2012 .

[27]  Gianluca Miscione,et al.  A Bigger Picture: Information Systems and Spatial Data Infrastructure Research Perspectives , 2007 .

[28]  George Papachristos,et al.  Critical realism in supply chain research: Understanding the dynamics of a seasonal goods supply chain , 2012 .

[29]  Kavous Ardalan,et al.  Globalization and information technology: Four paradigmatic views , 2011 .

[30]  Detmar W. Straub,et al.  Validation in Information Systems Research: A State-of-the-Art Assessment , 2001, MIS Q..

[31]  Janine Stiles,et al.  A philosophical justification for a realist approach to strategic alliance research , 2003 .