Deferring generalizability: four classes of generalization in social enquiry
Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems
A review on the use of action research in information systems studies
Proceedings of the IFIP TC8 WG 8.2 international conference on Information systems and qualitative research
Diversity in information systems action research methods
European Journal of Information Systems
Investigating information systems with action research
Communications of the AIS
Distinctions Among Different Types of Generalizing in Information Systems Research
Proceedings of the IFIP TC8 WG8.2 International Working Conference on New Information Technologies in Organizational Processes: Field Studies and Theoretical Reflections on the Future of Work
Generalizing Generalizability in Information Systems Research
Information Systems Research
Research on information systems in developing countries: current landscape and future prospects
Information Technology for Development
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This paper advocates for the use of Action Research (AR) approaches in the designing of Information Systems (IS). Following a brief overview of the history of AR as a research methodology and it's use in IS research a framework for describing the AR process is developed. This framework is then used to describe the AR process involved in the design and development of a paper based and orally communicated child health IS. A common criticism of AR in IS design is the focus on the output of the design and the lack of rigour in the description of AR projects. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on the process of the design and development of the IS in the case study, but also contributes to AR by outlining a number of concerns which should be addressed by the IS researcher if AR is to viewed as rigourous. The concerns which need to be addressed are the need: to make explicit the epistemology of the researcher(s) or practitioner(s) in any AR project; to adopt a participatory AR and longitudinal approach to avoid the conflict of 'serving two masters'; to develop networks of action, and; to develop and disseminate generalisations and learnings from the research.