Pragmatic is the adjective that describes someone or something that focuses on practical matters rather than theories or ideals. The word pragmatic comes from the Latin preceptio, which means “to be done.” In a nutshell, it refers to being action-oriented and taking results into account.
As a philosophical perspective, pragmatism is a method of inquiry that embraces experience and focuses on learning from experience. It’s a way of thinking about knowledge and the way that we acquire it, and is often described as an original a posteriori epistemology. The pragmatists’ philosophy of truth also includes the belief that beliefs are dispositions that qualify as true or false in light of their usefulness in inquiry and action.
The pragmatist epistemology includes the idea that the world around us is in flux and ever-changing. This is why it’s important to focus on how we can learn and grow as we go along, and how we can make informed decisions about our future. Using this method of reasoning, it’s possible to move forward confidently in the direction of the best possible outcome in any given situation.
In the context of a research project, pragmatism can provide guidance in establishing research objectives and framing the research problem. It can also inform the way that data collection, analysis and dissemination are carried out. In the two project examples below, choosing a pragmatist framework enabled us to be flexible with the order, dose and duration of data collection amongst different case study NGOs. This facilitated the NGO’s ability to adapt the research to their own processes without compromising the validity or reliability of the findings.
A pragmatist approach can be particularly helpful in the analysis stage of any research project. It encourages researchers to explore the meaning and implications of their results by examining what is actually happening and how it might be influenced by external factors. This can lead to more nuanced and meaningful conclusions that will benefit the target audience of the study more effectively.
Pragmatic research takes into consideration the specific cultural, social and environmental factors that could affect a research topic. It involves collaborating with stakeholders and end-users of the study to ensure that the research is relevant to them. This helps to strengthen the quality of the research and ensures that the findings are useful and applicable in real-world settings. In addition, pragmatism can be used to identify research questions and themes, which will help the researcher to gain an in-depth understanding of the research problem at hand. Moreover, a pragmatic approach to research can also be used to address limitations of current methods and technologies that may impact on the research design or data analysis process. For example, a pragmatic approach to qualitative research can be utilised to address the problem of researcher bias by incorporating participants’ perceptions and experiences into the data. It can also be applied to the design of surveys and questionnaires to improve their validity and reliability.