Practice research

Practice research is a type of research in which practitioners generate new theory by exploring their own practice using deductive methods . It is closely related to action research .

Practical research means that practitioners research specific problems that arise in their professional practice, taking into account existing theory, with the primary goal of analyzing and improving their own actions. Practice research has its origins in the idea that generating new theory only makes sense if it proves to be practical. Compared to the common social science processes, in which the general validity of the research results achieved is sought, the practical research pursues the goal of analyzing a specific problem and looking for a suitable solution.

definition

Due to its proximity to action research, “practical research” is often used synonymously with “action research” or “action research”. Most practitioners use John Elliott's definition of “action research” to describe their research:

Action research might be defined as the study of a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it.

The definition of Herbert Altrichter and Peter Posch Although it applies to teachers, but is just as true for practitioners of other professions:

Action research is the systematic study of professional situations, carried out by teachers themselves, with the aim of improving them.

In comparison to action research, practical research is more comprehensive. In addition to action research, practical researchers also refer to the approaches of qualitative social research and Donald Schön's work on reflective practice :

When someone reflects in action, he becomes a researcher in the practice context. He is not dependent on the categories of established theory and technique, but constructs a new theory of the unique case ... he does not separate thinking from doing, ratiocinating his way to a decision which he must later convert to action. Because his experimenting is a kind of action, implementation is built into his inquiry.

The central goal of practical research, based on Michael Bassey, is systematic analysis in order to generate new knowledge :

Research is systematic, critical and self-critical inquiry which aims to contribute towards the advancement of knowledge and wisdom.

In the eyes of its representatives, practical research differs from pure reflection through systematic, scientific and strategic action .

Genera

Depending on the researchers' intentions, there are various types of practical research, which Cohen et al differentiate as follows in action research:

• Technical practice research aims to optimize an existing situation.
• Practical research requires informed judgment from working people.
• Emancipatory practical research aims to create an understanding among researchers for interpersonal structures and relationships that prevent researchers / practitioners from freely exercising their work.

historical overview

The origins of practical research go back to Moreno's "Inter-Action-Research" (Austria, around 1920) and Lewin's field theory (USA, around 1949). In the German-speaking countries, the term “action research” is closely linked to the student movement of 1968 and is therefore seen as a political opposition to academic science. The term “practical research”, on the other hand, is neutral. While action research and practical research enjoyed growing popularity in the 1970s, interest had died down again by the early 1980s. It was not until the early 1990s that the acceptance of practical research in German-speaking countries, especially in the social sciences, increased significantly. This is primarily thanks to Herbert Altrichter and Peter Posch, who brought their encounter with Lawrence Stenhouse and John Elliott as well as their experiences from teacher training in England to the German-speaking area. In recent years, Heinz Moser and Thomas Stöckli have also set new accents in the field of educational research with two manuals. In related social science fields, however, there has been no broad reception.

Theoretical justification

Discrepancy between theory and practice

The main characteristic of practical research is that it is rooted in practice. Research is carried out in the workplace by the practitioner who wants to improve his practice while increasing his skills . Practical research lends itself to this insofar as it tries to overcome the discrepancy between theory and practice. The practitioner's preoccupation with the connection between theory and practice is a central component of practical research. Based on Anselm Strauss' Grounded Theory , practical research aims to generate theory based on data that has been systematically collected (and not through the logical deductions of a priori assumptions ). In the social sciences in particular , theory only makes sense if it proves itself in practice. Elliott sees in action research or practical research:

... a resolution to the theory-practice issue as it is perceived by teachers. Within this form of educational inquiry theoretical abstraction plays a subordinate role in the development of a practical wisdom grounded in reflective experiences of concrete cases.

Since practical research wants to gain theory directly from practice, it must be flexible and creative accordingly, because the relevance of knowledge gained can change depending on the status of the work.

Understanding of science

Practical research contradicts the current scientific principles insofar as the researchers want to influence the area of ​​their research. The distance between the researcher and his research subject , which is common in science, is no longer applicable; the researcher is both subject and object of his research. Heinz Moser therefore calls for a clear distinction between truth-generating scientific systems and practice systems based on usability criteria and everyday knowledge. The practical research corresponds to the “buttom-up research approach”, which is particularly common in English-speaking countries. By moving from the bottom up, practical research has the potential, in the eyes of some of its representatives, to break traditional boundaries between the academic and professional worlds.

In the German-speaking academic world, thanks to the influence of the pioneering work in England and the USA, a discourse is now being held in the specialist literature that has replaced the initial disputes between practical researchers and representatives of quantitative research. An understanding has been developed that both qualitative and quantitative research have their justification and specific areas of application. Thus, in the eyes of most scientists, qualitative and quantitative approaches complement one another and do not compete with one another. Both research approaches provided information that not only differs from the others, but is also important for mutual understanding, because

... one cannot justify the use of a certain method with one's “ paradigm ” or one's inclinations, but rather it must be based on the particular nature of the respective research problem.

In the eyes of their representatives, practical research is therefore often seen as an answer to the increasing pluralization of living environments in modern societies and the associated social change:

The rapid social change and the resulting diversification of lifeworlds are increasingly confronting social researchers with social contexts and perspectives that are so new to them that their classic deductive methodologies - derive the questions and hypotheses from theoretical models and test them against empirical evidence - on the differentiation of the Objects to aim past.

Personality development

Wilfred Carr and Stephen Kemmis believe that practical research also leads to improvements in interpersonal relationships. Practical research

... a form of self-reflective inquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own practices, their understanding of these practices and the situations in which the practices are carried out.

Stephen Kemmis believes in the emancipatory possibilities of practical research, especially in the educational sciences:

I believe emphatically that it is not utopian to hope for education that emancipates students, teachers and societies from irrational forms of thinking, unproductive ways of working, unsatisfying forms of life for teachers or students or their families, or from unjust forms of social relations in schools or societies.

Practical research aims to change the practice of an entire group or an entire society based on the individual . According to Jean McNiff, this explains the different perspectives between practical research and empirical research:

Empirical researchers inquire into other people's lives. Action researchers inquire into their own.

Practical research is also understood as an invitation to researchers to question their own values and theories. The research process can be understood as an opportunity for personal development, which, according to Lomax, can be a difficulty insofar as it involves reflecting on the negative aspects of the practice and especially sharing that reflection.

methodology

The cyclical process

Practical research sees itself as a cyclical process whose knowledge base is primarily the actions of the researcher. Problems occurring in practice are reflected on with reference to the existing theory, generating new knowledge that is directly applied in practice. This creates an exchange between practitioners and theorists.

Some practical researchers are of the opinion that practical research can only be carried out on an individual basis. Others, however, emphasize the discursiveness of this approach and that a critical exchange with other researchers is essential, which would intensify the process of reflection, theorization and planning of further research.

The dissemination of practical research results is a major problem at present. Many practical researchers emphasize the importance of a professional community that offers the opportunity to make the knowledge generated accessible to a broader audience.

criticism

Critics accuse practical research of a lack of science . For example, it is questioned whether a large part of what is declared as practical research is not more of a justification for existing practices that amount to reports on the efforts made.

literature

• H. Altrichter, P. Posch: Teachers research their teaching. 4th edition. Julius Klinkhardt Publishing House, Bad Heilbrunn 2007.
• D. Burton, S. Bartlett: Practitioner Research for Teachers. Paul Chapman, London 2005.
• A. Clarke, G. Erickson (Eds.): Teacher Inquiry: Living the research in everyday practice. Routledge Falmer, London 2003.
• P. Dalin: School Development: Theories and Strategies. Cassel, London 1998.
• Christine Freitag , Imke von Bargen: Practical research in teacher training. LIT, Berlin / Münster 2012.
• G. Hoban: Teacher Learning for Educational Change. Open University Press, Maidenhead 2002.
• H. Moser: Instrument case for practical research. Pestalozzianum Publishing House, Zurich 2003.
• Th. Stöckli: Educational development through practical research. A manual. Edition Waldorf, Stuttgart 2012.

Individual evidence

1. ^ J. Elliott: Action research for educational change. Open University Press, Milton Keynes, Philadelphia 1991, p. 69.
2. ↑ H. Altrichter, P. Posch: Teachers research their lessons. Lesson development and lesson evaluation through action research. 4th, revised and expanded edition. Julius Klinckhardt Verlag, Bad Heilbrunn 2007, p. 13.
3. ↑ D. Schön, quoted in: H. Altrichter, P. Posch, B. Somekh: Teachers Investigate Their Work. An Introduction to the Methods of Action Research. Routledge, London / New York 1993, p. 203.
4. ^ M. Bassey: Case Study in Educational Settings. Open University Press, Buckingham 1999, p. 38.
5. ^ T. McMahon: Is Reflective Practice Synonymous with Action Research? In: Educational Action Research. Volume 7, Number 1, 1999, p. 163.
6. ↑ L. Cohen, L. Manion, K. Morrison: Research Methods in Education. 5th edition. RoutledgeFalmer, London / New York 2000, p. 231.
7. ^ H. Altrichter, P. Gstettner: Action Research: a closed chapter in the history of German social science? In: Educational Action Research. Volume 1, Number 3, 1993, p. 350.
8. ^ H. Altrichter, P. Gstettner: Action Research: a closed chapter in the history of German social science? In: Educational Action Research. Volume 1, Number 3, 1993, p. 332.
9. ^ H. Altrichter, P. Gstettner: Action Research: a closed chapter in the history of German social science? In: Educational Action Research. Volume 1, Number 3, 1993, p. 341.
10. ↑ B. Somekh: Theory and Passion in Action Research. In: Educational Action Research. 11.2, 2003, pp. 247-264.
11. ↑ S. Bartlett, D. Burton: Practitioner research or descriptions of classroom practice? A discussion of teachers investigating their classrooms. In: Educational Action Research. Volume 14, Number 3, 2006, p. 397.
12. ↑ W. Carr, S. Kemmis: Becoming Critical: Education, Knowledge and Action Research. The Falmer Press, London / Philadelphia 1986, p. 125.
13. ↑ W. Carr, S. Kemmis: Becoming Critical Education, Knowledge and Action Research. The Falmer Press, London / Philadelphia 1986, p. 209.
14. ^ J. Elliott: Action Research for Educational Change. Open University Press, Milton Keynes, Philadelphia 1991, p. 53.
15. ^ Action Research in Education. ( Memento from April 23, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ) University of Plymouth
16. ^ H. Moser: Fundamentals of practical research. Lambertus Verlag, Freiburg im Brsg. 1995.
17. ^ U. Flick: Qualitative social research. An introduction. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2005, pp. 380–393.
18. ^ Wilson, quoted in U. Flick: Qualitative Sozialforschung. An introduction. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2005, p. 391.
19. ^ U. Flick: Qualitative social research. An introduction. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2005, p. 12f.
20. ↑ W. Carr, S. Kemmis: Becoming Critical: Education, Knowledge and Action Research. The Falmer Press, London / Philadelphia 1986, p. 162.
21. ↑ S. Kemmis: Participatory action research and the public sphere. In: Educational Action Research. Volume 14, Number 4, 2006, p. 463.
22. ^ Action Research for Professional Development: Concise Advice for New Action Researchers. ( Memento from January 3, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
23. ^ P. Lomax: Action Research. In: M. Coleman, A. Briggs (Eds.): Research Methods in Educational Leadership and Management. Sage Publications, London 2002, p. 123.
24. ↑ L. Cohen, L. Manion, K. Morrison: Research Methods in Education. 5th edition. RoutledgeFalmer, London / New York 2000, p. 230.
25. ^ R. Winter: Some Principles and Procedures for the Conduct of Action Research. In: O. Zuber-Skerritt (Ed.): New Directions in Action Research. Falmer Press, London 1996, pp. 13f.
26. ^ H. Altrichter: The Role of the Professional Community in Action Research. In: Educational Action Research. Volume 13, Number 1, 2005, p. 22.
27. ↑ Foster, quoted in: S. Bartlett, D. Burton: Practitioner research or descriptions of classroom practice? A discussion of teachers investigating their classrooms. In: Educational Action Research. Volume 14, Number 3, 2006, p. 396; a detailed discussion of these objections can be found in H. Altrichter: Is that still science? Profil, Munich 1990, pp. 157-200.