Reducing the research-practice gap through problem-based methodology

pp. 341-352

in: Alan , E. Paul Hart, Michael A. Peters (eds), A companion to research in education, Berlin, Springer, 2014

Abstract

While there are numerous reasons given for the limited impact of research on practice, there is little discussion of how research methodology itself may contribute to the research-practice gap. This chapter argues that much educational research is mismatched to practice because it bypasses rather than engages the theories of action that inform practice. The chapter explains and illustrates what is meant by engaging theories of action through a discussion of problem-based methodology (PBM). Problem-based methodology incorporates an account of the nature of practice, of how to uncover the theories of action that constitute practice, and of how to collaboratively evaluate and revise those theories. PBM also incorporates a social relations of inquiry that outlines the values and interpersonal behaviours involved in collaborative evaluation and revision of theories of action. Some methodologists doubt that the pursuit of practical improvement is compatible with the pursuit of rigorous inquiry. They argue that the pursuit of improvement undermines the integrity of the research. While acknowledging that this is a danger, I argue that PBM incorporates procedures for disconfirmation, theory adjudication and collaborative inquiry that make it possible to pursue simultaneously both the advancement of knowledge and the improvement of practice.