Researching Professional Practice: A Collection of Articles

In April 2022 the theme for Methodspace is Be Expansive: Research beyond Academia. Researchers are often interested in how ideas play out, but how best to study professional practice? This multidisciplinary collection of open-access articles offers a variety of perspectives.

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Harrison, R., Blickem, C., Lamb, J., Kirk, S., & Vassilev, I. (2019). Asset-Based Community Development: Narratives, Practice, and Conditions of Possibility—A Qualitative Study With Community Practitioners. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018823081
Abstract. Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) is seen as a way of tackling the social determinants of health and reducing health inequalities. However, a better understanding of the mechanisms through which ABCD operates, and the environmental and relational conditions within which it is likely to be most effective, could increase its effectiveness at improving health and well-being and reducing inequalities. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 25 people working in third sector and voluntary organizations to begin to improve understanding about ABCD approaches, how they are implemented, and how they are meeting the needs of disadvantaged populations. These individuals had local area knowledge of programs that follow an ABCD approach and which are currently running in the North West of England. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed. Four overarching themes gave insight into the principles and practices of ABCD: Relationships and trust as mechanisms for change, Reciprocity and connectivity: “people not services,” Accountability and reducing dependency, and A socially sustainable model. ABCD focuses on identifying and developing individual capabilities, relationships, engagement within communities, and outcomes that are meaningful to people and consistent with relationships and support that are reciprocal and acceptable. ABCD is likely to be most effective in supporting vulnerable people where building trust is mirrored by an institutional and relational environment that is trustworthy and facilitative of developing people’s capabilities.

Hart, A., Biggs, S., Scott-Bottoms, S., Buttery, L., Dennis, S., Duncan, S., Ebersöhn, L., Flegg, M., Kelso, C., Khaile, N. M., Mampane, M. R., Mampane, N. S., Nash, D. J., Ngoma, R., & Theron, L. C. (2020). Negotiating Leadership in Interdisciplinary Co-Productive Research: A Case Study of An International Community-Based Project Between Collaborators From South Africa and the United Kingdom. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020971598
Abstract. In the absence of empirical and conceptual considerations of the negotiation of leadership in teams doing community-based research, this article adds to the leadership literature by offering a critical reflection on positioning and collaborative teams in the context of one interdisciplinary, co-productive, cross-generational and international research project. The project focused on youth and community resilience to drought in South Africa. Fourteen co-researchers reflected on their experiences of leadership within the project, using a collectively developed questionnaire. Findings uniquely highlight wider ethical considerations when youth and novice researchers are included in research teams. A strong emphasis on cultural responsiveness was found; with local and culturally led leadership seen to positively influence both processes and outcomes. Reflections suggest collaboration may be approached as an “ethos” and aided by transformational leadership theories and methodologies. Findings may be especially relevant to research teams, funders, and ethical bodies.

Timor-Shlevin, S., Aharon, T., Segev, S., Mazor, S., & Ishai, E. (2022). From critical reflection to critical professional practice: Addressing the tensions between critical and hegemonic perspectives. Qualitative Social Work, 21(2), 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250211006765
Abstract. Critical reflection processes are fundamental to critical social work practice. Nevertheless, these processes have been criticized for lacking a coherent translation to direct professional practice. Existing models of critical reflection culminate in the formulation of critical professional perspectives, leaving the translation of critical perspectives into direct practice underdeveloped. This gap requires attention, specifically in the contemporary context of social services that operate under the hegemony of conservative and neoliberal discourses, which impede critical rationality and practice. Therefore, a nuanced conceptualization of the process that links critical reflection and critical practice is required. This article provides such a conceptualization by describing an undergraduate social work course that used a collaborative inquiry group to explore critical participatory practices. Building on our collaborative inquiry experiences and findings, we portray a process that included critical reflection, direct critical practice, and the development of a critical professional perspective. Based on the conceptual framework of action science, our conceptualization demonstrates how the process of addressing the tension between critical and hegemonic perspectives enables professionals to create critical practice within the hegemonic field. In this way, we provide a theoretical contribution to the construction of critical reflection models and a practical contribution to professional developmental processes that promote critical professionalism.

Walmsley, C. (2004). Social Representations and the Study of Professional Practice. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 40–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690400300404
Abstract. The social representations perspective provides a framework for understanding the thinking of the practicing professional, but its effectiveness as a tool for analyzing professional practice has not been considered. In this article, the author assesses the methodological implications of the social representations perspective to the study of social work practice in child protection. The perceived advantages of the perspective—that it captures symbolic forms of thought, permits analysis of the social context of practice, and enables thought about action to be organized and analyzed in an integrated way—are partially supported. The author could not identify the interplay between scientific and everyday knowledge but does describe other knowledge forms significant to the practitioner. Researchers make only partial use of the perspective's major ideas. This suggests that a different method is needed to ensure greater application to professional practice.

Winterbauer, N. L., Bekemeier, B., VanRaemdonck, L., & Hoover, A. G. (2016). Applying Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership Principles to Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks. Youth & Society, 1569–1581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X19834769
Abstract. With real-world relevance and translatability as important goals, applied methodological approaches have arisen along the participatory continuum that value context and empower stakeholders to partner actively with academics throughout the research process. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) provides the gold standard for equitable, partnered research in traditional communities. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) also have developed, coalescing communities of practice and of academics to identify, study, and answer practice-relevant questions. To optimize PBRN potential for expanding scientific knowledge, while bridging divides across knowledge production, dissemination, and implementation, we elucidate how PBRN partnerships can be strengthened by applying CBPR principles to build and maintain research collaboratives that empower practice partners. Examining the applicability of CBPR partnership principles to public health (PH) PBRNs, we conclude that PH-PBRNs can serve as authentic, sustainable CBPR partnerships, ensuring the co-production of new knowledge, while also improving and expanding the implementation and impact of research findings in real-world settings.

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