Potential of Newly Hired Faculty Members of PSU as Researchers Assessed through the Lens of Pragmatic Inquiry

Abstract

Pragmatism is a philosophical and epistemological framework for interrogating and evaluating ideas and beliefs in terms of their practical functioning. Pragmatism holds that the value and meaning of opinions and facts captured in research data are assessed through examination of their practical consequences which gives them a warranted assertibility. This study investigates the potential of newly hired faculty members to become researchers through the lens of pragmatic inquiry. The study found that although the newly hired faculty members had very little research output, they had above-average levels of pragmatic inquiry that adhered to the ideas of emphasizing knowledge that could be put to use, acknowledging the connections between experience, knowing, and acting, and viewing inquiry as an experiential process. Additionally, the faculty members’ level of pragmatic inquiry is a key predictor of their capacity to do research that may be applied to enhance teaching and learning. As a result, the amount of pragmatic inquiry among faculty members is helpful in determining the training needs of faculty members who focus on research as well as supporting the value of pragmatism as a paradigm for research.