Re-inventing Social Research

This workshop aims to extend and ground knowledge and the practice of social research, particularly practice - and action research and- even more specifically - (social) research in the participatory and holistic mould. Participants will be introduced to an understanding of (social) research as a propensity of humans (philogenetically tied to us as a species) and which has been evolving in ongoing dialectical reciprocity with our overall and specific attempts at survival within our ecological and social contexts.

Through application and crtical discussion of the various philosophical, methodological and practical approaches to research, it is intended and hoped that participants will improve their human propensity to reflectively act and increase their skills in engaging as reflective and inetgrative/tramsformative practitioners/actors.  It is also hoped that participants will become attuned to accepting and using research as an integrative and transformative tool, the primary intention of which is to validate people's everyday understanding of and knowledge about their realities, based as they are on their sensuous, cognitive and relational involvement in the process we usually refer to as 'their lives'.

In addition to reclaiming research and knowledge as generic human attributes and to gaining and broadening practical research skills and techniques the workshop will - hopefully - enable participants to develop the capacity for critical and reflective analysis through linking the research/evaluation activities with their past experience - either in the course of previous education or in the course of previous work - as well as with any other 'real life' experience they would be interested in further exploring at present and into the future.  In this way, it is also hoped that participants will become adept at critiquing and developing alternatives to the exisiting (positivist) approach to doing research, alternatives which not only address the technical aspects of the research intervention, but which also re-cast research in a more basic way as a relational endeavour, with all the ethical implications that engenders.  Indeed research carries responsibilities for and demands a acommitment to the established relationships.

In addition, they will learn how to practice and reflect upon the appropriate research for on-the-groud practice/action in small and larger groups of participants (i.e. with present and future colleagues and those who share their life paths.

ANTICIPATED LEARNIING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES.

While participants will come with various degrees and levels and durations of experience with the practice and theory of (social) research, in general, it is hoped that they: 

• will be better able to demonstate a greater understanding of the philosophical, methodological, ethical and practical issues relevant to social, community and every-day research.
• will have an increased and critical appreciation of and capacity to use existing social and other research towards a more reflective practice and action in their professional, work and other every-day real life contexts.
• will develop an enhanced capability to apply generic research 'skills' for practical pruposes, especially focussing on the formulation of sound practice/action research proposals for a concrete project within the work or living context of the participants themselves.
• will demonstarte the acquisiiton of reflective knowledge about and practical experience with different research approaches and their applicationin a real llife situation 

DAY ONE 

• Introduction: What the heck is research (meant to be...)?
• The research backgrounds and experience of workshop participants and their expectations for the workshop
• Theme: Researching: humans finding their way(s) - explorations of ontology, epistemological and methoodological options.
• Theme: Methods: ways of walking together in coversations (sort of...) - explorations of the art of relating 'researchingly'...
• DAY TWO: 
• Theme: Stage and Processes in various research approaches - participants' projects and ideas about their own research...
• Theme: Now you've researched it - what do you do with/about it? from the data collection to analysis to writing it up to letting others know what you have leared...
• Theme: evaluation, monitoring, oral history, storytelling and the narrative approach ...

We will proovide suggestions for further reading and those who would like a collection of references and relevant articlres are welcome to bring a USB to download these.  Jacques is (very) happy to assist with further guidance