An Overview and Tutorial of the Repertory Grid Technique in Information Systems Research

Abstract

Interest in the repertory grid technique has been growing in the IS field. This article seeks to inform the reader on the proper use and application of the technique in IS research. The methodology has unique advantages that make it suitable for many research settings. In this tutorial, we describe the technique, its theoretical underpinnings, and how it may be used by IS researchers. We conclude by detailing many IS research opportunities that exist in respect to the repertory grid technique.

The use of the repertory grid technique in online trust research

“…Although adjustments were made to both the process itself and the design of the grid, there are three core features of the repertory grid technique that are common and remain constant despite any modifications (Alexander et al, 2010;Curtis et al, 2008;Jankowicz, 2004) : (1) Elements (items to be evaluated) could be a. selected by a researcher and provided to respondents (Hassenzahl and Trautmann, 2001;Hinkle, 2009) b. developed by a group of respondents (Alexander et al, 2010) c. selected by individual respondents based on the generic requirements set up for a study (Ashleigh and Nandhakumar, 2002;Lemke et al, 2011) (2) Constructs (or explanations of elements' characteristics) could be expressed as single words or sentences describing a respondent's perception of an object under study. Fransella and Bannister (1977) noted that the constructs are collected based on: a. Triading (a respondent reviews three elements and determines how two of them are similar but at the same different from the third element) b. Dyading (a respondent reviews two elements and determines what makes them similar and what makes them different) c. Self-characterization (creating a holistic picture of an object under study)…”

“…The main purpose of this qualitative method is to elicit personal opinions of respondents without interfering with their individual process of building perceptions (Crudge and Johnson, 2007;Curtis et al, 2008). The primary objective of this study -to test the repertory grid technique as a long-distance research method -has been achieved as it proved that the use of this research method helped to reveal what online trust cues customers notice and consider while shopping online.…”

Students’ Uses and Gratifications for Using Computer-Mediated Communication Media in Learning Contexts

“…The RGT involves the generation of a list of concepts (elements) about things and/or events to be studied and the forming of attributes (constructs) based on the list of concepts [Zhang and Chignell, 2001]. It is a structured interview process with procedures for uncovering the cognitive constructs of individuals [Tan and Hunter, 2002], and has been widely used in organizational and Information Systems (IS) research [Curtis et al, 2008;Napier et al, 2009]. In IS research, this technique has been used in developing expert systems [Phythian and King, 1992], eliciting qualities of excellent system analysts [Hunter, 1997], exploring the cognitive thinking of business and IS executives [Tan and Gallupe, 2006], and, more recently, examining the skills of successful IT project managers [Napier et al, 2009] and website usability [Tung et al, 2009].…”

Risk Literacy and Environmental Education: Does Exposure to Academic Environmental Education Make a Difference in How Students Perceive Ecological Risks and Evaluate Their Risk Severity?

“…Mean rankings were used to detect the differences between the two groups in the prioritization task. Finally, we used multidimensional scaling, which is an analytical technique designed to create graphical representations of the similarities and differences in the ratings of multiple objects (risks, in this case) [59,60]. This analysis is based on principal component analysis, which enables the identification of perceived relationships between various elements (risks) according to their spatial distance.…”