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Pragmatic Study

A pragmatic study focuses on an individual decision maker within an actual real-world situation. The process of undertaking a pragmatic study is first to identify a problem and view it within its broadest context. This leads to research inquiry, which seeks to better understand and ultimately solve the problem. Finally, the research findings often result in policy suggestions, new environmental initiatives, or social change.

Real-World Research

Is it important to debate the philosophy behind our research and the theoretical basis of our research approach? A pragmatic study would be only tangentially interested in such deeper questions, as it puts practical solutions above philosophical discussions. Pragmatic studies often draw upon mixed-methods approaches. Both qualitative and quantitative methods could be employedwhatever methods provide a relevant approach to a given research question. This enables a researcher to develop a holistic analysis to fully incorporate numerous relevant factors into the study. Pragmatic studies are inductive, moving from a complex problem to a general theory of understanding in order to improve a given situation.

Pragmatism is based on understanding human experience. So, pragmatic studies often seek to understand the multiple factors involved in people's actions in a given situation. Thus, pragmatists acknowledge that their inquiry will not lead to certainty because, in theory, nothing in the world is certain. William James, a central figure in this philosophy, noted that a pragmatic study avoids abstract, fixed principles and does not pretend there is only one final truth. Instead, a pragmatic study defines terms by their application to human experience. Most pragmatic researchers are motivated to conduct research in order to address problems in the real world.

In undertaking pragmatic studies, a researcher believes that the research itself should be used to solve problems and improve human and ecological conditions. Many pragmatists would agree with Gilbert F. White's research goals, which are driven by solving problems that truly affect people and seeking to translate research results into action. This concept exemplifies the basic tenet of a pragmatic study: to conduct research whose results can be translated into practical ends. This often involves policy recommendations or other real-world solutions.

Research Goals

There are four main goals that are often employed to guide pragmatic research: Accept chaos in interrelationships among variables; seek an understanding based on human experience; view a problem as a complex problematic situation; and promote activism, democracy, and policy fomulation.

First, any given setting provides uncertainty that people define and attempt to resolve; thus, research variables are interdependent. A pragmatic study accepts that any setting is precarious and, indeed, assumes it is a very real feature of every situation, according to pragmatist John Dewey. So, for example, in order to address current ecological problems, which are often an outcome of our attempts to control nature, pragmatism accepts the premise that nature is basically unpredictable. Just as physical scientists question the suitability of linear prediction fomulas for weather forecasting, social scientists theorize that interactions between society and the environment assume a nonlinear, chaotic relationship. Pragmatic studies allow for such views by accepting a systems approach to our individual and societal relationships with nature. This provides research flexibility and the ability to select the best possible methods, because pragmatism does not require a linear investigation that seeks one resultant “truth.”

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