Wednesday 28 September 2011

What Will My Practitioner Research Be About?

What Will My Practitioner Research Be About?
I have been picking out some specific points of interest that have occurred to me whilst making my way through the reader for this module. I am finding reading parts of the various suggested literatures such as an extract from ‘The Good Research Guide’ is enabling me to begin to develop a sense of attributes for my practitioner research. Key elements for me to consider whilst partaking in this research will highlighting and making note of ways in which my conclusions and findings from my inquiry could potentially create an opportunity for change on my specific professional practise sector. Exploring by developing questions or potential problems, and then communicating and reflecting upon them peers or colleagues in the BAPP network and professionals in my community will determine more refined research.
                My reading into Hamsteins ideas about the difference between ‘pseudo questions’ and questions that can actually be turned into starting points for my research had been insightful. An extract from his book has highlighted some key points I feel others mat find useful. The process of discovery for potential research topics must be set in a way that ‘pursues meaning, cause, relationship, interpretation or significance’ (Hanstein, 1999, P27). To me this means before asking a question, I should consider what outcomes I intend to find first. This should enable me to construct genuine questions rather than a question that possibly cannot be answered at all, does not expect an answer or lead to a situation created where I already know the answer.
                To conclude, I am to conduct research purposefully so that my studies and findings may develop good practise personally but may also empower and impact co-workers, perhaps make a difference for professionals working in similar sectors or similar positions as myself or just empower a particular group in some way.

2 comments:

Adesola said...

Hi
Great idea. I agree that it's important not to ask questions that you already feel you know the answer to. But I do not believe in answering questions at all. What do you think of this: rather than to look for answers to questions one's goal is to better understand the questions. In that way as you explore a question you come across deeper questions. The inquiry into a question leads to another question. This comes from the perspective that we are changing all the time. Our perspective influences how we understand things and so we can only understand as far as our perspective will allow us to see. If we find an answer it is the answer we can see form our perspective but as we learn more from inquiry our perspective might change and the 'answer' also changes. Therefore answers are not ever 'finished' they are growing - better to see them as further questions to allow for growth. This is a perspective from Dewey, (and Peirce). Dewey is mentioned in the Reflection Reader (Module 1).
What do you think?
Hey, great getting together with Nicole on a SIG on Dance Education. Would you read my Dance education 18 August blog post http://adesolaa.blogspot.com/2011/08/dance-education.html
and comment on what you think. Please :)
Adesola

Sonal Natasha Patel said...

Hey Sophie, Seems like your getting on with this well. Good to here.

I think this is a really good idea, but I do also feel like questions lead to more questions. This is something that I find really interesting and something that should be developed in our minds. Looking over questions and then trying to find the answer and then discovering that you have found another question shows us that our minds develop and everything always changes. Agreeing with Adesola that answers are never finished theres always more.
I always go through this with the world and big bang theory... This is one subject that I always find a "Why" or "How" question too. I am going to look into this more though and I'll let you know how I go on.
Maybe this may lead me to more questions on what my personal inquiry is about....