The role of theory in empirical research methods in Information Systems: An agile lecture sequence approach

Abstract

Researchers of Information Systems have long demonstrated that the teaching of research methods hinges on the dynamic interplay between theory and practice. However, grasping the role of theory in both the process (research design) and products (reading and writing articles) of research is challenging for teachers and, crucially, their students. This project contributes to the pedagogical discourse on qualitative research methods in Information Systems. It proposes the prototype of a framework in the shape of an agile lecture sequence for making explicit the role of theory across the research process when teaching research methods in Information Systems. The proposed framework is based on a constructivist approach, recognizing that students co-construct their knowledge recursively through the interplay with the socio-cultural context.