Methodologies for Practice Research

Dr. John Fulton is reader in Practice-Based Research within the Faculty of Health Sciences and wellbeing. He has a career of more than 25 years in the education of health professionals. He has an interest in work-based learning and methodological approaches which shape and direct the development of practice. He is co-author of a textbook on the professional doctorate and leads the research methods module of the professional doctorate program. He is also the program leader for the MSc in Public Health and as such is/has been involved in a number of research projects in public health, with particular focus on the wider determinates of health both nationally and globally.

Costley and Fulton provide a must read for anyone involved with professional doctorates. This book supports researchers to understand and promote the importance of practice research, conduct it and create real research and policy impact. The book we’ve been looking for!

• Introduction - Carol Costley and John FultonPart I: Underlying PrinciplesChapter 1: Philosophy and Practice – why does this matter? - Tom MaxwellKey definitionsModes 1 and 2 knowledge productionAn important philosophical threadImplicationsConclusionChapter 2: Research Approaches in Professional Doctorates; notes on an epistemology of practice - Carol CostleyIntroductionDifferent forms of knowledge have led to epistemic changesThe modern application of practice-based research approachesTowards an epistemology of practiceChapter 3: Why Policy Matters Particularly in Professional Doctorates - Pam Burnard, Tatjana Dragovic, Rebecca Heaton and Barry RogersIntroductionThe imperative of why policy matters to the researching professionalOn setting parameters that lead to policy analysis and changeSo, how should researching professionals go about policy analysis?Methodologies for connecting professional doctorates and policy/iesDriving professional and wider changes in society: doing the doctorate differentlyConclusion – So what for professional doctorate education?Chapter 4: Reflective Models and Frameworks in Practice - Jan FookIntroductionReflection and its relationship to researchThe concept of reflection and related conceptsReflection and reflexivityAn integrated understanding and practical model of critical reflectionReflection and practice-based researchDifferent ways in which reflection can be used in researchIssues for further discussionCriteria for making decisions about how to use reflection in researchChapter 5: Ethics - John Fulton and Carol CostleyA Brief History of Ethics and Philosophical PrinciplesTranslating the principles into the research designPractice-based ResearchIssues to consider in Practice-based ResearchPart II: Methodological FrameworksChapter 6: Methodology as Personal and Professional Integrity: Research Designing for Practitioner Doctorates - Kate MaguireIntroductionThe contextPersonal and Professional IntegrityDisentangling paradigms, methodologies, approaches and methodsKnowledgeThe simplicity of an approachBeginning research designing: conceptualising your practice in order to conceptualise and theorise practiceForms of conceptualisationTransparencyResearch designing: influences to considerYour designHelp with clarifying an attitude to the workworld to achieve what mattersEmbracing ComplexityChapter 7: Alternative Dissertation Models: The Development of Modern Capstone Design - Valerie A. StoreySetting the StageWhat Characterises a PD Dissertation?Extending the Dissertation SpectrumThe Challenge: Alternative Dissertation FormatsThe Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED)Alternative Models: Active IngredientsConclusion and RecommendationsChapter 8: Auto-Ethnography - Kath WoodwardRange and Scope of Auto-ethnographyAuto-ethnographyTheories, Methodologies and MethodsChapter 9: Action Research - Gill ColemanIntroductionInsider ResearchersCharacteristicsAn “extended” epistemologyFirst, Second and Third-person Action ResearchPutting it into practiceQuality/ValidityConclusion: challenges and strengthsChapter 10: Case Study - Catherine HayesIntroductionWhat is the philosophical stance?What is the extent and range of the case study?Using Case Study Research in the Context of a Professional DoctorateTheory Building with Case Study Research DataChapter 11: Mixed Methods - David PlowrightIntroductionThe ChallengeMixed Methods ResearchThe FraIM: A Brief DescriptionWarrantability of ResearchIntegrated MatrixFinallyChapter 12: Translational Research in Practice Development - John FultonTypes of knowledgeHow do you know that research can be applied to practice?Roles in Translational ResearchThe Process of Translational ResearchConclusionChapter 13: Theory of Change: The Real Thing and How to Design Successful Social Change Projects - Heléne ClarkBasic Components of a Theory of ChangeBasic Definition of Theory of ChangeTheory: Each Component DefinedThree Basic Purposes and Times for Theory of ChangeUsing A Theory of Change in PracticeSnapshot of the Process of Creating a Theory of ChangeTips on Success in Creating a Theory of ChangeConclusion