Methodological Pragmatism—Freedom from the Squeeze?

Abstract

This article discusses how combining and integrating a range of traditional qualitative methodologies under the umbrella of methodological pragmatism supported and challenged an early career researcher (ECR). It will consider how methodological pragmatism is defined from a purely qualitative rather than a mixed methods perspective, and how it fed into and shaped each stage of the research process. Some of the issues encountered in finding a methodology that supported study in an area where no specific previous research existed will be discussed, and the opportunities that pragmatism offered shared. The article then will focus on the standpoint and the perspectives of an ECR—specifically my own experiences of what I termed the methodological squeeze, and how a pragmatic methodology can be effective in countering this. This will further the discussion of what previously has been described as the acrobatics required to ensure that research fits within the boundaries of traditional qualitative methodological approaches. The article will conclude with some of the key advantages of utilizing a pragmatic methodology, both on the research process but also on the skills it can develop in an ECR. I argue that, rather than being disadvantageous, working beyond and between the boundaries of traditional and pure methodological approaches as an ECR encourages a distinctly different perspective on research and specifically promotes active engagement in reflexive decisions about research.