Connecting Practice Research with the Process of Theorizing
Published In
Research on Social Work Practice
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
3-26-2022
Abstract
In this analysis, we contend that theorizing strengthens the connections between practice and research by requiring researchers to check their working assumptions, premises, conclusions, and implications for research, theory, and practice. Our exploration of the process of theorizing in practice research is rooted in the concept of “sensemaking” (Weick, 1995) whereby practice researchers engage in disciplined imagination by reflecting on diverse forms of evidence, being attentive to specific practices and problems, and moving between intuition and reasoned explanation. The analysis includes the following components: 1) tools for theorizing from research findings (abductive analysis and problematization), 2) processes for theorizing about practice research findings (focusing on practice, researcher repertoire, and theory development processes), 3) an example of theorizing from key findings, and 4) the construction of interventive theory. It concludes with implications for social work practice research.
Rights
Copyright © 2022, © SAGE Publications
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1177/10497315221078961
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/37402
Publisher
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F10497315221078961
Citation Details
Austin, M. J., & McBeath, B. (2022). Connecting Practice Research With the Process of Theorizing. Research on Social Work Practice, 10497315221078961.