importance of quantitative research in information and communication technology

The literature also mentions natural experiments, which describe empirical studies in which subjects (or groups of subject) are exposed to different experimental and control conditions that are determined by nature or by other factors outside the control of the investigators (Dunning, 2012). In fact, those who were not aware, depending on the nature of the treatments, may be responding as if they were assigned to the control group. It encourages confirmatory rather than exploratory analysis. Laboratory experiments take place in a setting especially created by the researcher for the investigation of the phenomenon. Field experiments are conducted in reality, as when researchers manipulate, say, different interface elements of the Amazon.com webpage while people continue to use the ecommerce platform. (2000). Bagozzi, R.P. It allows you to gain reliable, objective insights from data and clearly understand trends and patterns. In simple terms, in QtPR it is often useful to understand theory as a lawlike statement that attributes causality to sets of variables, although other conceptions of theory do exist and are used in QtPR and other types of research (Gregor, 2006). Because the p-value depends so heavily on the number of subjects, it can only be used in high-powered studies to interpret results. Knowledge is acquired through both deduction and induction. Heres to hoping, "End of year threads: whats the best book youve read this year? To better understand these research methods, you . Stone, Eugene F., Research Methods in Organizational Behavior, Glenview, IL, 1981. Hence the external validity of the study is high. Researchers who are permitted access to transactional data from, say, a firm like Amazon, are assuming, moreover, that the data they have been given is accurate, complete, and representative of a targeted population. European Journal of Information Systems, 17(5), 627-645. 443-507). Bayesian Structural Equation Models for Cumulative Theory Building in Information SystemsA Brief Tutorial Using BUGS and R. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 34(77), 1481-1514. From a practical standpoint, this almost always happens when important variables are missing from the model. Secondarily, it is concerned with any recorded data. Centefelli, R. T., & Bassellier, G. (2009). Within each type of QtPR research approach design, many choices are available for data collection and analysis. Without delving too deeply into the distinctions and their implications, one difference is that qualitative positive researchers generally assume that reality can be discovered to some extent by a researcher as well as described by measurable properties (which are social constructions) that are independent of the observer (researcher) and created instruments and instrumentation. A positive correlation would indicate that job satisfaction increases when pay levels go up. 2021): Whereas seeking to falsify theories is the idealistic and historical norm, in practice many scholars in IS and other social sciences are, in practice, seeking confirmation of their carefully argued theoretical models (Gray & Cooper, 2010; Burton-Jones et al., 2017). MIS Quarterly, 33(4), 689-708. This probability reflects the conditional, cumulative probability of achieving the observed outcome or larger: probability (Observation t | H0). Theory & Psychology, 24(2), 256-277. necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. On the other hand, Size of Firm is more easily interpretable, and this construct frequently appears, as noted elsewhere in this treatise. In other words, the procedural model described below requires the existence of a well-defined theoretical domain and the existence of well-specified theoretical constructs. NHST originated from a debate that mainly took place in the first half of the 20th century between Fisher (e.g., 1935a, 1935b; 1955) on the one hand, and Neyman and Pearson (e.g., 1928, 1933) on the other hand. Together, these notions allow distinguishing Type I (rejecting H0 when there is no effect) and Type II errors (not rejecting H0 when there is an effect). Creating model over findings ie. It is by no means optional. Many studies have pointed out the measurement validation flaws in published research, see, for example (Boudreau et al., 2001). It helps prepare different learning concepts to enhance the impact of teaching, learning, and research criteria. For example, several historically accepted ways to validate measurements (such as approaches based on average variance extracted, composite reliability, or goodness of fit indices) have later been criticized and eventually displaced by alternative approaches. Basically, experience can show theories to be wrong, but can never prove them right. This is not the most recent version, view other versions Many choose their profession to be a statistician or a quantitative researcher consultant. QtPR researchers historically assumed that reality is objectively given and can be discovered by a researcher and described by measurable properties independent of the observer (researcher) and their instruments. Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, 22(2), 3-30. Despite this buzz, however, many students still find it challenging to compose an information technology research topic. Needless to say, this brief discussion only introduces three aspects to the role of randomization. The final step of the research revolves around using mathematics to analyze the 'data' collected. Quantitative data is any data that is numerical in form such as statistics, percentages, etc. They involve manipulations in a real world setting of what the subjects experience. Comparing PLS to Regression and LISREL: A Response to Marcoulides, Chin, and Saunders. The most commonly used methodologies are experiments, surveys, content analysis, and meta-analysis. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 42(2), 120-135. Fishers idea is essentially an approach based on proof by contradiction (Christensen, 2005; Pernet, 2016): we pose a null model and test if our data conforms to it. The Effect of Big Data on Hypothesis Testing. See for example: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Handbook_of_Management_Scales. One of the advantages of SEM is that many methods (such as covariance-based SEM models) cannot only be used to assess the structural model the assumed causation amongst a set of multiple dependent and independent constructs but also, separately or concurrently, the measurement model the loadings of observed measurements on their expected latent constructs. There are three main steps in deduction (Levallet et al. Establishing reliability and validity of measures and measurement is a demanding and resource-intensive task. Common Beliefs and Reality About PLS: Comments on Rnkk and Evermann (2013). Another debate concerns alternative models for reasoning about causality (Pearl, 2009; Antonakis et al., 2010; Bollen & Pearl, 2013) based on a growing recognition that causality itself is a socially constructed term and many statistical approaches to testing causality are imbued with one particular philosophical perspective toward causality. As suggested in Figure 1, at the heart of QtPR in this approach to theory-evaluation is the concept of deduction. Here is what a researcher might have originally written: To measure the knowledge of the subjects, we use ratings offered through the platform. In reality, any of the included stages may need to be performed multiple times and it may be necessary to revert to an earlier stage when the results of a later stage do not meet expectations. This website focuses on common, and some would call traditional approaches to QtPR within the IS community, such as survey or experimental research. When we compare two means(or in other tests standard deviations or ratios etc. Suffice it to say at this point that in experiments, it is critical that the subjects are manipulated by the treatments and, conversely, that the control group is not manipulated. Consider, for example, that you want to score student thesis submissions in terms of originality, rigor, and other criteria. To understand different types of QtPR methods, it is useful to consider how a researcher designs for variable control and randomization in the study. At the heart of positivism is Karl Poppers dichotomous differentiation between scientific theories and myth. A scientific theory is a theory whose predictions can be empirically falsified, that is, shown to be wrong. What is to be included in revenues, for example, is impacted by decisions about whether booked revenues can or should be coded as current period revenues. ), Measurement Errors in Surveys (pp. If a researcher adopts the practice of testing alternative hypotheses with directions and signs, the interpretation of Type I and Type II errors is greatly simplified. 79-102). In M. E. Whitman & A. For example, experimental studies are based on the assumption that the sample was created through random sampling and is reasonably large. There are different types of validity that are important to identify. accurate as of the publish date. Validation Guidelines for IS Positivist Research. Organization Science, 22(4), 1105-1120. Understanding and addressing these challenges are important, independent from whether the research is about confirmation or exploration. That is, in social reality, no two variables are ever perfectly unrelated (Meehl, 1967). Revisiting Bias Due to Construct Misspecification: Different Results from Considering Coefficients in Standardized Form. A common problem at this stage is that researchers assume that labelling a construct with a name is equivalent to defining it and specifying its content domains: It is not. The importance of quantitative research Quantitative research is a powerful tool for anyone looking to learn more about their market and customers. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 13(24), 380-427. The amount is with respect to some known units of measurement. When authors say their method was a survey, for example, they are telling the readers how they gathered the data, but they are not really telling what their method was. This demarcation of science from the myths of non-science also assumes that building a theory based on observation (through induction) does not make it scientific. An issue of shared meaning could occur if, for instance, you are attempting to measure compassion. How do you know that you are measuring compassion and not, say, empathy, which is a socially constructed concept that to many has a similar meaning? Wadsworth. Neyman, J., & Pearson, E. S. (1928). (1991). SEM has become increasingly popular amongst researchers for purposes such as measurement validation and the testing of linkages between constructs. The units are known so comparisons of measurements are possible. MIS Quarterly, 35(2), 261-292. The data has to be very close to being totally random for a weak effect not to be statistically significant at an N of 15,000. It is the most common form of survey instrument use in information systems research. This is reflected in their dominant preference to describe not the null hypothesis of no effect but rather alternative hypotheses that posit certain associations or directions in sign. In some (nut not all) experimental studies, one way to check for manipulation validity is to ask subjects, provided they are capable of post-experimental introspection: Those who were aware that they were manipulated are testable subjects (rather than noise in the equations). on a set of attributes and the perceptual mapping of objects relative to these attributes (Hair et al., 2010). Goodhue, D. L., Lewis, W., & Thompson, R. L. (2007). We share information about your use of this site with our social media, advertising and analytics teams who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them. Sometimes there is no alternative to secondary sources, for example, census reports and industry statistics. Ways of thinking that follow Heisenberg are, therefore, post positivist because there is no longer a viable way of reasoning about reality that has in it the concept of perfect measures of underlying states and prediction at the 100% level. F. Quantitative Research and Social Science > the method employed in this type of quantitative social research are mostly typically the survey and the experiment. Interpretive researchers generally attempt to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them. Greenland, S., Senn, S. J., Rothman, K. J., Carlin, J. Typically, QtPR starts with developing a theory that offers a hopefully insightful and novel conceptualization of some important real-world phenomena. Harper and Row. While quantitative psychology is often associated with the use of statistical models and psychological measurement research methods . It is also referred to as the maximum likelihood criterion or U statistic (Hair et al., 2010). One such example of a research method that is not covered in any detail here would be meta-analysis. 571-586. In LISREL, the equivalent statistic is known as a squared multiple correlation. While this is often true, quantitative methods do not necessarily involve statistical examination of numbers. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical or Physical Character, 231, 289-337. The speed and efficiency of the quantitative method are attractive to many researchers. This methodological discussion is an important one and affects all QtPR researchers in their efforts. Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics. Kim, G., Shin, B., & Grover, V. (2010). Historically, internal validity was established through the use of statistical control variables. Simply put, QtPR focus on how you can do research with an emphasis on quantitative data collected as scientific evidence. Human Relations, 61(8), 1139-1160. SEM involves the construction of a model where different aspects of a phenomenon are theorized to be related to one another with a structure. Assuming that the experimental treatment is not about gender, for example, each group should be statistically similar in terms of its gender makeup. Finally, ecological validity (Shadish et al., 2001) assesses the ability to generalize study findings from an experimental setting to a set of real-world settings. Journal of Personality Assessment, 80(1), 99-103. Statistical Methods for Meta-Analysis. However, the analyses are typically different: QlPR might also use statistical techniques to analyze the data collected, but these would typically be descriptive statistics, t-tests of differences, or bivariate correlations, for example. Wohlin, C., Runeson, P., Hst, M., Ohlsson, M. C., Regnell, B., & Wessln, A. Another problem with Cronbachs alpha is that a higher alpha can most often be obtained simply by adding more construct items in that alpha is a function of k items. Since field studies often involve statistical techniques for data analysis, the covariation criterion is usually satisfied. Davis, F. D. (1989). Thinking About Measures and Measurement in Positivist Research: A Proposal for Refocusing on Fundamentals. IS research is a field that is primarily concerned with socio-technical systems comprising individuals and collectives that deploy digital information and communication technology for tasks in business, private, or social settings. Aspects of Scientific Explanation and other Essays in the Philosophy of Science. Surveys, polls, statistical analysis software and weather thermometers are all examples of instruments used to collect and measure quantitative data. (2010). The Earth is Round (p< .05). Moore, G. C., & Benbasat, I. A test statistic to assess the statistical significance of the difference between two sets of sample means. As in experimental research, the focus is the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable. Example: the study of DSWD . In other words, SEM allows researchers to examine the reliability and validity of their measurements as well as the hypotheses contained in their proposed theoretical model. R-squared or R2: Coefficient of determination: Measure of the proportion of the variance of the dependent variable about its mean that is explained by the independent variable(s). Randomizing gender and health of participants, for example, should result in roughly equal splits between experimental groups so the likelihood of a systematic bias in the results from either of these variables is low. Interrater Agreement and Reliability. A seminal book on experimental research has been written by William Shadish, Thomas Cook, and Donald Campbell (Shadish et al., 2001). Intervening variables simply are not possible and no human subject is required (Jenkins, 1985). Significance Tests Die Hard: The Amazing Persistence of a Probabilistic Misconception. Please contact us directly if you wish to make suggestions on how to improve the site. Importantly, they can also serve to change directions in a field. Written for communication students, Quantitative Research in Communication provides practical, user-friendly coverage of how to use statistics, how to interpret SPSS printouts, how to write results, and how to assess whether the assumptions of various procedures have been met . Sage. If items load appropriately high (viz., above 0.7), we assume that they reflect the theoretical constructs. (2011) provide several recommendations for how to specify the content domain of a construct appropriately, including defining its domain, entity, and property. MIS Quarterly, 30(3), 611-642. Sage. The Difference Between Significant and Not Significant is not Itself Statistically Significant. The monitoring and measurement of physical ICT system performances are crucial to assess the computer processing unit (CPU) load, the available memory, the used bandwidth, and so on to guarantee the ICT-based services correctly work regarding their expected use. By chance, of course, there could be a preponderance of males or unhealthier persons in one group versus the other but in such rare cases researchers can regulate this in media res and adjust the sampling using a quota process (Trochim et al., 2016). All data are examined ex-post-facto by the researcher (Jenkins, 1985). Burton-Jones, A., & Lee, A. S. (2017). King, W. R., & He, J. Lee, A. S., & Hubona, G. S. (2009). Gaining experience in quantitative research enables professionals to go beyond existing findings and explore their area of interest through their own sampling, analysis and interpretation of the data. The goal is to explain to the readers what one did, but without emphasizing the fact that one did it. 2004). Block, J. As for the comprehensibility of the data, we chose the Redinger algorithm with its sensitivity metric for determining how closely the text matches the simplest English word and sentence structure patterns.. Series B (Methodological), 17(1), 69-78. In the latter case, the researcher is not looking to confirm any relationships specified prior to the analysis, but instead allows the method and the data to explore and then define the nature of the relationships as manifested in the data. Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. As a simple example, consider the scenario that your research is about individuals affections when working with information technology and the behavioral consequences of such affections. Essentially, time series data is single variable data that has another dimension of time. MIS Quarterly, 12(2), 259-274. (2007). (2013). With this research method, the researcher has control over the independent variable(s) and the random assignment of research participants to various treatment and non-treatment conditions (Boudreau et al., 2001). In D. Avison & J. Pries-Heje (Eds. (1988). In research concerned with exploration, problems tend to accumulate from the right to the left of Figure 2: No matter how well or systematically researchers explore their data, they cannot guarantee that their conclusions reflect reality unless they first take steps to ensure the accuracy of their data. There are two cornerstones in this approach to research. (2009). This model suggests that the underlying view that leads a scholar to conclude that QtPR can produce knowledge is that the world has an objective reality that can be captured and translated into models that imply testable hypotheses, usually in the form of statistical or other numerical analyses. Quantitative research produces objective data that can be clearly communicated through statistics and numbers. Information Systems Research, 28(3), 451-467. In conclusion, recall that saying that QtPR tends to see the world as having an objective reality is not equivalent to saying that QtPR assumes that constructs and measures of these constructs are being or have been perfected over the years. Philosophy of Science, 34(2), 103-115. There is a wealth of literature available to dig deeper into the role, and forms, of randomization (e.g., Cochran, 1977; Trochim et al., 2016; Shadish et al., 2001). The purpose of survey research in exploration is to become more familiar with a phenomenon or topic of interest. More information about qualitative research in both variants is available on an AIS-sponsored online resource. We intend to provide basic information about the methods and techniques associated with QtPR and to offer the visitor references to other useful resources and to seminal works. In their book, they explain that deterministic prediction is not feasible and that there is a boundary of critical realism that scientists cannot go beyond. ANOVA is fortunately robust to violations of equal variances across groups (Lindman, 1974). Importance of ICT in Developing Economies The spread of ICT technologies over the world has been dramatic in the past years, spearheading development all over the world. They should create . Descriptive and correlational research usually involves non-experimental, observational data collection techniques, such as survey instruments, which do not involve controlling or manipulating independent variables. They also list the different tests available to examine reliability in all its forms. F1000Research, 4(621). Within the overarching area of quantitative research, there are a variety of different methodologies. B., & Gal, D. (2017). "Nice examples of researcher webpages. Quantitative research seeks to establish knowledge through the use of numbers and measurement. Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies in teaching, learning and research has come a long way and so is the use of various web2.0 tools . A Scientific Basis for Rigor in Information Systems Research. Cohen, J. If multiple measurements are taken, reliable measurements should all be consistent in their values. While the positivist epistemology deals only with observed and measured knowledge, the post-positivist epistemology recognizes that such an approach would result in making many important aspects of psychology irrelevant because feelings and perceptions cannot be readily measured. This methodology employs a closed simulation model to mirror a segment of the realworld. Human subjects are exposed to this model and their responses are recorded. (2013). 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And myth G. C., & Lee, A. S., Senn, S.,,... To compose an Information technology research topic Essays in the Philosophy of Science,. Analysis Software and weather thermometers are all examples of instruments used to collect and measure quantitative data is any that! Of linkages between constructs of sample means, this brief discussion only introduces three aspects the. Reliable measurements should all be consistent in their efforts be clearly communicated through and... And LISREL: a Proposal for Refocusing on Fundamentals Significant is not Itself Statistically Significant 1967 ) was through. Variants is available on an AIS-sponsored online resource as a squared multiple correlation read this?. Lisrel, the covariation criterion is usually satisfied increasingly popular amongst researchers for purposes such as measurement validation flaws published! Intervening variables simply are not possible and no human subject is required ( Jenkins, 1985.! 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Introduces three aspects to the Philosophy of Science examination of numbers but can never prove them.... Is to explain to the readers what one did it across groups ( Lindman, 1974 ) forms! A positive correlation would indicate that job satisfaction increases when pay levels go up Basis for in. High-Powered studies to interpret results of time powerful tool for anyone looking to learn more about their market and.. Relative to these attributes ( Hair et al., 2010 ) Rothman, J.... A theory whose predictions can be clearly communicated through statistics and numbers about and... Of some important real-world phenomena the Association for Information Systems research a theory that offers a hopefully insightful novel.