Understanding Pragmatic Research

12. Summary

So, in summary, we have seen how a pragmatic approach to research can enable a researcher to apply methods that mix more traditional paradigms or methodologies in order to gain a broader understanding of a phenomenon under investigation. The decision about the approach is driven by the practical considerations of which methods will be best suited to the research questions being asked and this can lead to novel and innovative approaches to research.

However, by departing from the relative safety of established paradigms and approaches, the researcher must take just as much, if not more care to ensure that the approaches taken are theoretically driven and are robust. The researcher must be aware of the strengths and potential weaknesses of the approaches taken.