Research Practitioner

Question 1

Discuss what you understand by ‘Practitioner researcher’. Would you consider yourself a practitioner researcher? Motivate your answer. What do the terms Practitioner researcher (OU Notes) and Business Research (C&H) have in common? (25 marks)

1. What is a Practitioner Researcher?

The definition offered by Robson (1993) indicates that

“The practitioner-researcher is someone who holds down a job in some particular area and at the same time carries out systematic enquiry which is of relevance to the job.”

(Robson, 1993, p.446)

Evaluating and extending the definition suggested by Robson, a practitioner researcher can be defined as an “insider” that executes a systematic and methodical enquiry relevant to a specific situation they experience which necessitates them to be familiar with the problem, and possess the appropriate knowledge and background relevant to researching and understanding the problem. A practitioner researcher’s primary goal is to enhance performance through an improved understanding of the problem or situation under review. However a critical element of being a practitioner researcher is the development and application of a critical and reflective evaluation of assumptions and findings. A practitioner researcher should reflect on the specific enquiry and needs to be sensitive to the context-dependent nature of their study to facilitate learning and development. Whilst, the definition offered in preceding comments may demonstrate the benefits of being a practitioner researcher, we should also be mindful as to whether it is a satisfactory approach considering that a deep understanding of the underlying philosophies of research methodology may be inherently lacking.

A practitioner researcher engages in a complex process of selecting a relevant and well-defined organisational problem, researching and investigating it as well as communicating the findings and recommendations through applying various research techniques and...