Abstract

Hypothesis testing through controlled experiment is the dominant approach to studying information technology in the United States. In order to produce generalizable, reproducible results, effects of context are removed, in so far as is possible, both from the experiment and from data analysis. Another approach, qualitative research, is characterized by immersion m context. Using qualitative methods to interpret information technology in terms of social action and meanings is becoming more popular as evidence grows that information systems development and use is a social as well as technical process. In other fields, there has been a move towards combining qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a richer, contextual basis for interpretation and validation of results through triangulation. This paper describes how qualitative methods and quantitative methods were combined in the first phase of a longitudinal study. Despite difficulties stemming from differences in the authors' research orientations, the research findings were enriched substantially by this combining of methods.

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