Action research for developing social workers' research capacity

Abstract

We reflect on the action research process implemented in assisting the development of a culture of practitioner enquiry amongst social workers in social services agencies, and highlight the overall outcomes of the intervention. The paper outlines the rationale and process for undertaking an action research process with social services professionals in an attempt to stimulate practitioner research. It discusses the project experiences in two separate sections, particularly highlighting the ripple effects of the initiative, and the development of 'networked mentoring' within the learning nest of the project. Background to the action research programmeThis article outlines an action research programme for mentoring research capacity amongst social work practitioners. It involved the recruitment of eight small teams of potential practitioner-researchers who were supported through the provision of workshops, academic mentors, peer mentoring, and a range of written resources and supports. We developed both resources and processes as the programme unfolded, responding to feedback and listening to criticism. The key learning that arose from the programme was that a range of diverse impacts, both direct and indirect, may result from such a practitioner research initiative. Second, we identify how in the process of implementing the initiative there was the emergence of a range of mentoring relationships.The paper is organised into four sections.

Exploring the development of action research in nursing and social care in the UK: A comparative bibliometric review of action research designs in social work (2000–2010)

“…Nursing action research did not have a presence there. Interactive workshops and discussion forums were the most popular method applied. These forums aid the development of communication skills and mentoring (for example, see Lunt & Fouché, 2009), but this method did not feature in the four most popular methods in nursing. The reasons for this are unclear, though the social work studies in this review included several that were strategically or policy-oriented and workshops are acknowledged as providing ‘illuminating insight into … policy implementation processes …’ (Gould, 2001, p. 31).…”

Using Principles of Practice-Based Research to Teach Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work

“…The role of academic research partners is to be "on tap rather than on top" (Lunt & Fouche, 2009). Practitioners often feel disempowered by heavy bureaucratic requirements placed on them to follow protocols, gather data, and produce required documentation (Burton & van den Broeck, 2009;Parton, 2008).…”

“…In the standard model, experts based in labs or academic research centers use RCTs to identify optimal treatments for isolated problems; then they develop techniques and protocols that are incrementally taken up by the practice community through training and technical support (Schoech et al, 2006). Aside from the issues of relevance, differing units of analysis, and practicality, which have already been addressed as problematic features of traditional knowledge development, the model can also be critiqued for espousing an industrial and managerial assumption about product control, wherein articulation of credible knowledge is the purview of experts and where vetted knowledge and policies associated with it flow down to practitioners to be absorbed (Lunt & Fouche, 2009). …”

How practitioner-led research could have greater impact: the importance of considering knowledge mobilisation holistically

“…This literature tends focus on the learning processes which enable practitioners to gain research skills and improve their individual capacity (Beddoe and Harrington, 2012;Boddy et al, 2012;McCrystal, 2000;Bond and Walton, 1998). Capacity development might include increased ability to produce peer-reviewed writing (Boddy et al, 2012), increased research confidence (Beddoe and Harrington, 2012) and research specific skills (Lunt and Fouche, 2009). So in parallel to the KM literature, the work on practitioner research pays greatest attention to the individual's capacity, and specifically to the development of their research and analytical capacity, rather than their capacity to mobilise knowledge per se.…”