Pragmatism vs interpretivism in qualitative information systems research

Pragmatism vs interpretivism in qualitative information systems research

Qualitative research is often associated with interpretivism, but alternatives do exist. Besides critical research and sometimes positivism, qualitative research in information systems can be performed following a paradigm of pragmatism. This paradigm is associated with action, intervention and constructive knowledge. This paper has picked out interpretivism and pragmatism as two possible and i...

What Kind of Pragmatism in Information Systems Research?

This paper investigates what pragmatism can mean to information systems research. It makes a division into three types of pragmatism: Functional, referential and methodological pragmatism. These three kinds of pragmatisms are explained through their different knowledge – action relations. Functional pragmatism is described as “knowledge for action”. Referential pragmatism is described as “knowl...

Holistic Pragmatism as a Philosophical Framework in Information Systems Research

Meanings of Pragmatism: Ways to conduct information systems research

There is a growing interest in pragmatism within organisational and informational studies. Pragmatism has been seen as a viable alternative to positivism and anti-positivism. This paper explores the meanings of pragmatism in terms of implications for how to conduct research on information systems. Its main source of inspiration is the American philosophy of pragmatism. The paper describes the n...

Reframing Interpretivism and positivism as Understanding and Explanation: Consequences for Information Systems Research

This research offers a new perspective by reframing the positivist-interpretive debate as a distinction between the functional outcomes of research: explanation and understanding. Based on an older and well-established literature in philosophy, this distinction can reinvigorate important differences in research outcomes that have been lost. Understanding or “subjective meaning” is connected to ...