Paradigms of information systems evaluation research in the decade before the millennium

Abstract

This paper reviews and compares previous research on Information Systems Evaluation in the decade before the millennium. The purpose of the review is to identify paradigms of information systems evaluation as reflected by the ontology, epistemology and methodology of these studies. A discussion of paradigms within the information systems literature is used to facilitate the analysis of IS Evaluation research. A framework is formulated to categorise paradigms of IS evaluation according to the objectivity (analytical) and subjectivity (interpretive) of the evaluation. The understanding of dominant paradigms of IS Evaluation research in the decade before the millennium facilitates the identification of research and development priorities for the area of Information Systems Evaluation in the new millennium.