The Reflexive Practitioner

Author(s):  
Stephen Dobson

This chapter aims to set out relevant discourse and approaches to consider when planning strategies for acquiring and building knowledge for formal ontology construction. Action Research (AR) is offered as a key means to help structure the necessary reflexivity required to enrich the researcher’s understanding of how they know what they know, particularly within a collaborative research setting. This is especially necessary when revealing tacit domain knowledge through participation with actors and stakeholders: “In this kind of research it is permissible to be openly normative and to strive for change, but not to neglect critical reflection” (Elfors & Svane 2008, 1).

Author(s):  
Joanne Rappaport

Abstract Reflections on participatory and collaborative research commonly neglect to pay attention to the fact that for community researchers, investigation into their own realities frequently takes forms very different from those of academic scholars. They may use methods that are more explicitly intuitive and may depart from approaches that involve the rigorous collection and systematization of data. This paper explores what research might have meant to the Caribbean peasants of the early 1970s with whom Colombian sociologist Orlando Fals Borda developed his approach to what is today called participatory action research. In particular, it focuses on the field notes of Alfonso Salgado Martínez, a leader of the National Association of Peasant Users-Sincelejo Line (ANUC, Asociación Nacional de Usuarios Campesinos-Línea Sincelejo), juxtaposing them to his published work, both read in comparison to Fals Borda's own notes and writings.


Author(s):  
Jeffrey Radloff ◽  
Cole Joslyn ◽  
Brenda Capobianco

The purpose of this action research study was to critically examine the use of action research as a mechanism to enhance graduate students’ development as emerging qualitative researchers. Although action research has been recognized as an effective means of transforming teaching practices, studies examining its use among graduate students learning to become qualitative researchers are lacking. Participants profiled in this study include two graduate students and one teacher educator. The context of the study was a graduate level course on action research where all three participants identified starting points, employed distinct action strategies, engaged in sustained, critical reflection, and developed metaphors representing their living educational theories of their practice. Results from this study indicate that each participant gained a deeper self-awareness and understanding of enacting qualitative research and furthermore, recognized action research as a powerful humanizing agent.


Author(s):  
HUI-NGO GOH ◽  
CHING-CHIEH KIU ◽  
LAY-KI SOON ◽  
BALI RANAIVO-MALANÇON

The field of ontology has received attention lately due to the increasing needs in conceptualizing the domain knowledge for resolving various jobs' demand. Numerous new techniques, tools and applications have then been developed for their suitability in managing knowledge. However, most works carried out focused on non-fiction domain and categorizing the concepts into component or cluster. Hence, the originality of the content flow is not preserved. This paper presents an automated ontology construction in fiction domain. The significance of the study lies in (1) designing a simple and easy algorithmic framework for automated ontology construction while preserving the originality of the content flow in an ontology, (2) identification of suitable threshold value in extracting true terms, and (3) process an unstructured fiction-based domain text into meaningful structure automatically.


Author(s):  
Louise Phillips ◽  
Birgitte Ravn Olesen ◽  
Michael Scheffmann-Petersen ◽  
Helle Merete Nordentoft

In the current socio-political conjuncture, collaborative, dialogic forms of knowledge production abound and are idealised as democratic and inclusive. The aim of the article is to contribute to the body of critical, reflexive analyses of collaborative research by analysing how complex dynamics of exclusion as well as inclusion create tensions in researchers’ attempts to establish collaborative relations in the initial phase of an action research project. The analysis applies a framework combining Bakhtinian dialogic communication theory and Foucauldian theory to explore inclusion and exclusion in the tensional interplay of multiple voices whereby certain voices dominate. Finally, the article offers a typology of ideal types of collaborative research relations that can be used in the initial research phase as a platform for reflexive discussion between researchers and potential collaborative partners about their respective understandings of collaboration and dialogue and corresponding expectations about the research process and results.


2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McInnes ◽  
Paul Hibbert ◽  
Nic Beech

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the problematics of validity that are inherent to the conduct of an action research project because of the disparate language games of both practitioners and academics.Design/methodology/approachAn exploration is offered of the tensions between different understandings of a research setting at different stages of the research process.FindingsIn each phase of the research there are a number of tensions between different epistemological assumptions about the “reality” of the research setting. Validity is not, therefore, about capturing a singular objective picture of the organisation, but rather it is produced through the negotiation of a temporary intersection of language games.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a framework for understanding the role of the researcher in the research process and the issues underlying validity claims made from different epistemological positions.Practical implicationsThe paper provides insights in to the mechanisms through which practitioners and academics come to understand each other and the limitations of this knowledge.Originality/valueThe article raises awareness of the different normative assumptions at play within a variety of action research contexts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44
Author(s):  
Shiv Shakti Ghosh ◽  
Subhashis Das ◽  
Sunil Kumar Chatterjee

In this paper, we propose an ontology building method, called human-centric faceted approach for ontology construction (HCFOC). HCFOC uses the human-centric approach, improvised with the idea of selective dissemination of information (SDI), to deal with context. Further, this ontology construction process makes use of facet analysis and an analytico-synthetic classification approach. This novel fusion contributes to the originality of HCFOC and distinguishes it from other existing ontology construction methodologies. Based on HCFOC, an ontology of the tourism domain has been designed using the Protégé-5.5.0 ontology editor. The HCFOC methodology has provided the necessary flexibility, extensibility, robustness and has facilitated the capturing of background knowledge. It models the tourism ontology in such a way that it is able to deal with the context of a tourist’s information need with precision. This is evident from the result that more than 90% of the user’s queries were successfully met. The use of domain knowledge and techniques from both library and information science and computer science has helped in the realization of the desired purpose of this ontology construction process. It is envisaged that HCFOC will have implications for ontology developers. The demonstrated tourism ontology can support any tourism information retrieval system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-61
Author(s):  
Yvette Slaughter ◽  
Julie Choi ◽  
David Nunan ◽  
Hayley Black ◽  
Rebecca Grimaud ◽  
...  

The diversity of learning needs within the TESOL field creates inherent tensions between the need for targeted professional learning for TESOL teachers, the more generalist nature of tertiary TESOL courses, and the varied research interests of teacher educators. This article describes a collaborative research project between university-based teacher educators and TESOL teachers working in an adult education centre. With a range of aims amongst the research participants, this article reports on the ‘fluid’ and ‘messy’ process of collaborative research (Burns & Edwards, 2014, p. 67) as we investigate the use of identity texts (Cummins & Early, 2011) as a mediating tool for professional learning. In acknowledging the practice of teaching as highly situated, the data presented focuses on the individual experience of each teacher, voiced through an action research frame, before we discuss the achievements and challenges which emerged through this collaborative research process. In the findings, we argue for the importance of championing the case for the messy processes of collaborative research within the broader research academy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-232
Author(s):  
Hindatulatifah Hindatulatifah

The success rate of reading the Qur'an for students with visual impairment depends on the level of sensitivity of students. Braille Qur'an learning method that is applied so far is qowa'idulimla' (dictation) that emphasizes writing skills but less able to explore the ability to read. To overcome these problems need appropriate learning strategies and media and teaching materials in form of Arabic Braille writing. This research is a classroom action research by taking the form of collaborative research conducted in two cycles. Subjects in this study were students of grade III SDLB-A Yaketunis. Results showed that application of teaching materials iqro 'Braille  can increase students' learning interest in learning the Braille Qur'an. Pre action results that show 68.75% (medium category), in the first cycle increased to 87.08% (high category), and in cycle II increased again to 90% (high category). Implementation of teaching materials Iqro 'Braille also improve Achievement of Learning PAI. This is seen from scores of learning achievement on pre-action and post action.  


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