Political Science, Department of

Faculty Publications-Political Science

Texas State University Year 1998

Pragmatism as a Philosophy of Science:

A Tool for Public Administration

Patricia M. ShieldsTexas State University - San Marcos, Dept. of Political Science,

ps07@txstate.edu

This paper is posted at eCommons@Texas State University.

http://ecommons.txstate.edu/polsfacp/33

PRAGMATISM AS PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE: A TOOL FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Patricia M. Shields

ABSTRACT

Tl~is chapter demonstrilles how pragmatism as a philosophy of science is used in a Public Administration Research Methods Class. This class is desig~rrd to gel stu- dents ready to write an empirical capstone project. Three elements of the course are developed-finding a topic, developing a research question, and choosing a concep- lual framework. The notebook method, a tool to lind a topic and develop thr resei11c11 question, is presented. Conceptual frameworks are classified into live types ond linked with the research purpose, question, [nodes of research, and statistics. Both the notebook neth hod and the classification of conce~tual irameworks are discussed in light of their pragmatic roots. Specilically. they are linked to the ideas of Charles Sanders Peirce and John Dewey.

Rerearch in Public Admlnlslmtian, Voltlrnc 4, pages 195.225. Copyright B 1998 by JAl Press Inr. All rights of reproduction in nny fornl reserved. ISBN: 1-55938-888.9