Abstract
In this paper, I revisit some of the origins and more recent directions in practitioner research in social work, seeing it as a phenomenon that - rather than being special or narrowly associated with social work - manifests a pervasive cluster of concerns about good professional practice in contemporary society. Drawing on some general conclusions of a recent study of practitioner inquiry, I indicate ways in which the wider systems of which it is a part frequently hamstring the potential of such research to operate as more than a fringe operation - a `street market' version of mainstream research. I outline four ways in which social workers, service users, agency managers, academics, government departments and universities should work to a transformative agenda for practitioner research - transformative for both practice and research. This will involve refashioning the interface between the methodology and methods of practice and research; generating practitioner research capacity; recognizing the subtlety and critical potential of a genuinely `practical' agenda in practitioner research; and rescuing practitioner research from a simply technical information-providing function, that by-passes the challenge to promoting critical practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1231-1248 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | British Journal of Social Work |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2005 |
Keywords
- practitioner research
- critical practice
- practical research
- RAPID ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS