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Changing the way we study change: advocating longitudinal research in MIS

Authors:

Hemant V. Kher,

Mark A. ServaAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, Volume 45, Issue 2

Pages 45 - 60

https://doi.org/10.1145/2621906.2621910

Published: 14 May 2014 Publication History

Abstract

Recently, scholars in various disciplines have called for the use of longitudinal research designs to test and build theory. Their argument is that key phenomena in virtually every theory change over time. As such, cross-sectional research designs used to test and extend theories do not provide insights that help understand the nature of temporal relationships between variables that are central to theory. Evidence is emerging that in some cases the strength and the direction of the relationship between variables found using longitudinal data is quite different relative to that found using cross-sectional data. The view expressed in this paper is that longitudinal research brings with it both new opportunities and challenges for information systems (IS) researchers. Opportunities will come in the form of explicitly incorporating time in testing and applying IS theories to cast new light on prior research that has been predominantly based on cross-sectional designs. At the same time, challenges will come in the form of proposing hypotheses on interrelationships between variables over time, and using newer data analytic techniques that are better suited to analyzing longitudinal data. We provide illustrations that highlight both advantages and challenges associated with longitudinal research in the field of IS.

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3433148.3433151
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David PRundle-Thiele SPallant J(2019)Re(Focussing) on behavioural change: an examination of the utility of hidden Markov modellingJournal of Social Marketing10.1108/JSOCM-04-2018-0038Online publication date: 5-Jun-2019
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-04-2018-0038
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Index Terms

Changing the way we study change: advocating longitudinal research in MIS
1. Computing methodologies
  1. Modeling and simulation
    1. Simulation theory
      1. Systems theory
2. Mathematics of computing
  1. Information theory

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Published In

cover image ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems

ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems Volume 45, Issue 2

May 2014

53 pages

ISSN:0095-0033

EISSN:1532-0936

DOI:10.1145/2621906

Editors:
Andrew Schwarz
Louisiana State University
,
Wm. David Salisbury
University of Dayton
,
Colleen Schwarz
Louisiana State University

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Copyright © 2014 Authors.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 14 May 2014

Published in SIGMIS Volume 45, Issue 2

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Cited By

Weinert CMaier CLaumer SWeitzel T(2020)IS Reappraisal and Technology Adaptation BehaviorsACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems10.1145/3433148.343315151:4(11-39)Online publication date: 2-Nov-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3433148.3433151
David PRundle-Thiele S(2019)Rethinking behaviour change: a dynamic approach in social marketingJournal of Social Marketing10.1108/JSOCM-10-2018-0113Online publication date: 6-Jun-2019
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-10-2018-0113
David PRundle-Thiele SPallant J(2019)Re(Focussing) on behavioural change: an examination of the utility of hidden Markov modellingJournal of Social Marketing10.1108/JSOCM-04-2018-0038Online publication date: 5-Jun-2019
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-04-2018-0038
Rundle-Thiele SDavid PWillmott TPang BEagle LHay R(2019)Social marketing theory development goals: an agenda to drive changeJournal of Marketing Management10.1080/0267257X.2018.1559871(1-22)Online publication date: 8-Jan-2019
https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2018.1559871
Chang HWang C(2015)Cloud Incident Data AnalyticsProceedings of the 2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences10.1109/HICSS.2015.626(5320-5330)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/HICSS.2015.626

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