Structuration Theory in Information Systems Research: Relevance and Rigour from a Pluralist Research Approach

Abstract

This paper reflects on the theoretical aspects of an earlier ontological study. The study was a single case which explored the use of an agricultural decision support system by women cotton growers in the Australian cotton industry and the effect of its use on their farm management roles on family cotton farms. The study was informed through a multi-paradigmatic conceptual framework with structuration theory as a meta-theory, and diffusion theory and gender relations theory as lower level theories. This pluralistic research approach employed both theory and data triangulation. In this paper, the justification for a multi-paradigmatic framework is discussed as well as the relevance and rigour of the study.