Understanding Practice Research and Research Practice

Understanding Practice Research

and Research Practice

Refining Research Practice from Practice Research

Practice (30/6/08)• The doing• There is know-how• (There is also know-what, and know-why) • There is know-what of know-how [content, processes, steps articulated]• There is know-how of know-how [practised actions that deliver the done

activity; and an embodied knowledge that is more than can be articulated (the know-what of the know-how steps articulated; although we can build vocabulary to develop articulation); sometimes called artistry]

• There is know-why of know-how [the purpose of the action: efficacy; and match of action to purpose teleological nexus of Heron’s axiology criterion]

• The theory-practice interchange: any good theory is eminently practical (Lewin) – not much point of theory that is not practical (pragmatist view); good theory helps a practitioner make proper connections between what they are doing and outcomes, there is a connection – logical/rational, causal, congruent

Research (1/7/08)

• Some definitions – what the literature reports

• Refer to item on Inquiry for Practitioner

Practice research (1&9/7/08)

Refer to what literature tells• Schon – examination of practice of experts => concept of reflective practice

• A&S – examination of theory/practice divide => theory-in-use, espoused-theory Model I and Model II; wicked problems; learning organisation

• Erickson – general theory of expertise

• Artistry in expertise

• Implications for practice education

• Novice, Apprentice, Master, Expert

Consider what I think I know/ can articulate• Being shown: mimicry

• Doing once, twice, three times – where possible getting feedback

• Writing up process steps/ consulting with other practitioners

• If appropriate being told the theory – the cause and effect; the model; the understanding; learning the vocabulary to talk about, to think about

• Teaching others – testing process steps against own doing and how can tell others to do

Research Practice (1/7/08)

• Paradigms• Methods• Different approaches developed in different disciplines• Beginning to be open to thinking more about research

itself and its processes – describing, categorising, theorising, comparing and contrasting, synthesising, generalising from the particulars, particularising from the generalities

• Anything generic? (I think there is – AR; and ‘by definition’; but it is so embedded that practitioners can barely see it and need to work with the reflexive, by reflective and dialogic processes, to unearth it: the second-order work)

How practice research -> knowledge about research practice • An element of practice is inquiry• Researching practice will involve examining

inquiry process (researching research)• Research itself is a practice• Developing research knowledge is going to

involve self-study• Whitehead’s BERA Practitioner-Researcher list

pointers to Polanyi and Popper, and about subjective/objective divide

• Ie starting with the second order/level aspect??

What literature suggests about practice research (30/6/08)

• Kressel and practice relevant research• Schon and practice being a form of research• Argyris & Schon and theory and practice and

espoused-theory and in-use-theory• Heron and practice at the apex• Toulmin (practical philosophy) and practice

research’s constraints: timeliness, specificity, contextual (local);

• Others:

How practice research -> knowledge about research practice• Watching practice in early stages by

reflective notes

• Preparing for practice by writing work

My Practice Research/Research Practice

NI Conf2008

Peer review for JRP and ALARJ

2007-

EDGZ921Reflective work

2007-2008

CPSReflective work

2006-2008

ALARA2006-

Academici2005-7 Working with

Individuals2000-1, 2002,

2006-8

EDUT422Reflective work

2002-2006

Tutoring EDUT422

Helping write thesis

Cultureshift2001-2006

TappedIn2001-

M.Ed UTS1999-2004

Research thesis1999-2005

Role play in MDR & CPE

1998-2000,2007

Practice ImprovementDuring MDR 1996-1998

Sources of DataAbout

Practice Research

What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08)

Practice Improvement During MDR 1996-1998:

• mechanisms to capture data in complex contemporaneous interchanges, in a practical context, in a practical way

What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1& 8/7/08)

Role play in MDR & CPE 1998-2000,2006-7/8(writing)

• Being in role mobilises unarticulated knowledge to display/enact it to others; others are then able to observe and give feedback; others moving into role of inquirer can help role player articulate and/or display more of knowledge of another party by empathy, reflexivity and mapping projections of congruence to behaviour observed to date

• Being in role allows player to learn to become observer of self

What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1& 8/7/08)

Research thesis 1999-2005• More detail of description, and analysis via

literature -> awareness of arena in which I am operating

• Empirical, analytical, now focused on interpersonal interactions

• Being intentional in deciding to record as well as having some focus in recording, while still collecting apparent noise - contextual material for later analysis for the ‘emergent’


M.Ed UTS 1999-2004• Clarity about research paradigms• Application of RROP to different tasks

over course – drawing on experience; writing about experience; drawing on literature; writing about literature; integrating experience and literature; undertaking experiments especially in online environment with other practitioners


TappedIn 2001-

• Experimenting with interpersonal interactions

• Transcript data & contemporaneous reflective work


Cultureshift 2001-2006

• Use of contemporaneous reflective work to work on practice

• Operation in a higher level of practice knowledge and operations than TI

• Access to other aware practitioners to ask about practice


Tutoring EDUT422 Helping write thesis• Cycling over process for small scale

operation amongst different students, over a short period

• Evaluating others’ work – identifying significant things missing, articulating what is needed and why, and how to express that – distance to go back and evaluate my own writing


EDUT422 Reflective work 2002-2006• Course design/ redesign• Collegial discussions• Reflections on teaching• Opening practice to students• Opening practice to peers• Working in the same area with others:

being mentored; mentoring


Working with Individuals 2000-1, 2002, 2006-8• Research peers – too focused on own work [cognitive

overload (both ways?)] to be open to learning, to any shift

• Individual work versus group work• Becoming responsive• Some work on trying intentionality after listening, &

contemporaneous reflective work, but still in an informal, uncertain ongoing relationship context, and with real live practice in between sessions

• Nature and power and process of reciprocity


Academici 2005-7• Nature and level of other interest• Drafting captured data• Reflective work about process• Impact of platform changes, and loss of

audience• Recognition of impact of other-life on

intellectual development: seasons of intensity and seasons of fallow


ALARA 2006-• Context amongst peer practitioners, they in

other-context practice, me in interchanges with them about practice, and a lesser level of intensity of other-context practice

• Process of engagement and immersion and commitment to internalities

• Limitations of others involvement limiting personal growth at the moment


CPS Reflective work 2006-2008• Testing data collection in practice• Learning to give more immediate feedback• Post event analysis and writing and

interacting with CPS literature• Collaborating with another practitioner in

writing preparations• Valuing role play and video work for this

level of practice learning


EDGZ921Reflective work 2007-2008• Working on writing• Working with practice narratives• Working on evaluation and giving formative feedback• Working on collaboration with peers• Valuing and articulating the value of working with

practice narrative to examine practice by self-study and triangulated with literature/research knowledge and other practitioner knowledge, once the practitioner has been primed to look for certain things – ie developing the foreground, and the frame

What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1&8/7/08)

Peer review for JRP and ALARJ 2007-• Recognising good better best writing, and poor argument

construction/ structuring• Giving formative feedback to improve writing – but in the teacher

mode – this is what I know, can you consider how (power of marker role and whatever)

• Not yet moved to the questioning critical friend role (socratic questioning) – no context for that; have offered once because the alternative process was becoming hypercritical, and recognised as directive when having an inquiry context – collecting more data before advising; using questions to help author/s think again, etc appeared to be warranted, and where I could be more responsive than directive (offer not taken up)

• See also EDGZ921 formative feedback


NI Conf 2008• Collaborating for presentation• Joint and separate work• Conference presentation and paper preparation• Post conference engagements• Working at sharing: my dogmatism at times with

Meeta and Heather; my asking of significant questions; my asking about focus and strategy

What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1&8/7/08)

Preparing this material and reviewing the other (Reflexive Second-Order work)

• Review and critique thesis articulation• Current nature of openness to new• Current nature of perception of the second-

order, and not always finding it when looking for it – have seen it and occasionally given that feedback; sometimes that is recognised, sometimes not

what is most significant of all this practice?

• What is most significant of all this practice – the grounded theory principle – constant comparison; and

• what things become foregrounded and framed (frame = measuring instrument)

Others’ Practice Research/Research Practice

NI Conf2008

Peer review for JRP and ALARJ

EDGZ921Student work2007-2008

Academici2005-7

CPSSupervisor work

2006-2008

EDUT422Student work

2002-6

M.Ed UTS1999-2004

ARLIST1999-

Peer StudentsResearch1999-2005

Role play in MDR & CPE

1998-2000,2007

Practice ImprovementDuring MDR 1996-1998

Sources of DataAbout

Practice Research

What evidence do I have of what I have taught others (1/7/08)

• Gwenda, Peggy, Madge, Margaret MacC, Margaret McM: self-awareness progress; issues complexity progress; practice articulation progress

• Feedback from EDUT422 students, and staff• Feedback from EDGZ921 students and staff• Feedback from CPS students and staff• Feedback from Cultureshift, ALARA, Academici,

TI participants

Recount (Practice Story/

informal case study report drawn from memory)

Reflective JournalContemporary

personal process data collection

Literature ReviewField’s practice knowledge

Data collection (secondary source)

Empirical studiesPrimary data collection

FinalReport

Documents

Understanding Practice Research and Research Practice