Critical Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Nursing Research.

Abstract

This manuscript explores critical pragmatism as a philosophical paradigm for nursing research. Critical pragmatism integrates the action-oriented focus of pragmatism with the emancipatory aims of critical paradigms, offering a perspective that is both practically grounded and oriented toward social transformation. We outline the paradigm's philosophical foundations, including its roots in pragmatism and critical paradigms. Drawing on the doctoral work of R.G. and M.K. as illustrative examples, we conceptualize critical pragmatism as a continuum that accommodates diverse perspectives with shared ontological, epistemological, and axiological commitments. We present critical pragmatism as a promising paradigm for nursing research, with the potential to strengthen the relevance, applicability, and impact of nursing scholarship in both practice and academic contexts.