Practice Research

Abstract

Practice research focuses heavily on the roles of the service provider and service user who play a major role in defining the research questions and interpreting the findings. Compared to other knowledge production processes that are agency-based, service-focused, client-focused, theory-informed, highly interactive (multiple stakeholders), and designed to inform practice, policy, and future research, practice research makes a unique contribution to the research enterprise. Practice research in the field of social work plays an important role in a continuing search for ways to improve social services that promote the well-being of service users. It often involves collaboration among multiple stakeholders in addition to service providers, researchers, service users, educators (funders, policymakers, agency directors, etc.), while taking into account the power dynamics between service users and service providers with respect to inclusiveness, transparency, ethical reflexivity, and critical reflection. In this relationship, agency practice that fully captures the perspectives of service users as well as providers can inform the education of future practitioners as well as influence research on agency practice and policies. The goal of practice research is to generate knowledge derived from agency-based practice (Salisbury Forum Group 2011, cited under General Overviews). The theoretical frameworks and methodological research tools for engaging in practice research often requires flexible and collaborative structures and organizations (Helsinki Forum Group 2014, cited under General Overviews). Practice research is often a negotiated process between practice (providers and users) and research (researchers and educators) within the context of cross-cultural dialogical communications needed to address the gap between research and practice. In essence, for practice and research to be shared, co-learning, respect, and curiosity are needed to support an inclusive inquiry and knowledge development process that captures the differences and tensions reflected in fundamentally different perspectives (e.g., service user and provider, service provider and researcher, and researcher and policymaker). In addition, practice research is often funder influenced, outcome focused, and change oriented.

East Meets West: Five Decades of Practice Research in Hong Kong

“…Although research can inform practice, it also needs to be practice-minded to generate knowledge that stems directly from actual practice (Epstein et al, 2015; Fisher et al, 2016). That is, rather than developing ideas based on the needs and priorities of practitioners, researchers generally bring their own ideas to the practice world.…”

The Emergence of Social Work Practice Research in the Peoples’ Republic of China

“…It calls for a close and committed collaboration between researchers and practitioners in all processes of research (Second International Conference on Practice Research Scientific Committee, 2014). Although research can inform practice, it also needs to be practice minded in order to better understand and develop knowledge that emerges directly from actual practices (Epstein et al, 2014; Fisher et al, 2016). Rather than developing ideas based on the needs and priorities of practitioners, in most cases, researchers bring their own ideas to the practice world.…”

Mack Center on Nonprofit and Public Sector Management in Human Service Organizations

“…The past 25 years of Mack Center investments in practice research provide an opportunity to reflect on the methodology of practice research which is also gaining increased international attention with the Fourth International Conference on Practice Research (Hong Kong, 2017). As noted in the Oxford University Press Social Work Bibliography (Fisher et al, 2016), practice research builds upon the recognized methods of applied research by featuring the following principles and methodologies: (1) deriving the research questions from practice with the involvement of practitioners, (2) recognizing that research is a negotiated process between practitioners and researchers with a central role to be played by service users,…”

“…The past 25 years of Mack Center investments in practice research provide an opportunity to reflect on the methodology of practice research which is also gaining increased international attention with the Fourth International Conference on Practice Research (Hong Kong, 2017). As noted in the Oxford University Press Social Work Bibliography (Fisher et al, 2016), practice research builds upon the recognized methods of applied research by featuring the following principles and methodologies: (1) deriving the research questions from practice with the involvement of practitioners, (2) recognizing that research is a negotiated process between practitioners and researchers with a central role to be played by service users, (3) shared roles and relations permeate the entire research enterprise from topic selection to data interpretation and dissemination, (4) building upon existing knowledge includes both existing literature and the tacit knowledge of practice, and (5) attention to balancing the two perspectives of theory-informed practice with practice-informed theory (Austin, 2017—conference keynote). In addition, the principles of “team science” have always guided our work, especially giving authorship prominence to graduate students.…”