Thursday, October 24, 2013

Definition of Practice-based and Practice-led Research

Many thanks to Linda Candy and Andrew Johnston of University of Technology Sydney, for their permission to reblog this article.


I am engaged in a Practice-based Research PhD. To date I have struggled to find a clear definition of exactly what this meant. I came across this excellent blog post on Creativity & Cognition.

Research in which practice is a central focus can be divided into two main types:  practice-based and practice-led.
  1. If the research includes a creative artefact as the basis of the contribution to knowledge, the research is practice-based.
  2. If the research leads primarily to new understandings about the nature of practice, it is practice-led.
In some cases both types of research appear together but there is usually one that is more dominant.
Practice-based Research is an original investigation undertaken in order to gain new knowledge partly by means of practice and the outcomes of that practice. In a doctoral thesis, claims of originality and contribution to knowledge may be demonstrated through creative outcomes in the form of designs, music, digital media, performances and exhibitions. Whilst the significance and context of the claims are described in words, a full understanding can only be obtained with direct reference to the outcomes.

Practice-led Research is concerned with the nature of practice and is directed towards generating new knowledge that has operational significance for that practice. In a doctoral thesis, the results of practice-led research may be fully described in text form without the inclusion of a creative work. The primary focus of the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within practice. Such research includes practice as an integral part of its method and often falls within the general area of action research.

Although practice-based research has become widespread, it has yet to be characterised in a way that has become agreed across the various fields of research where it is in use. To complicate matters further, the terms ‘practice-based’ and ‘practice-led’ are often used interchangeably. In fact we can distinguish between different types of research that have a central practice element and that distinction is summarised here as follows:
  • If a creative artefact is the basis of the contribution to knowledge, the research is practice-based.
  • If the research leads primarily to new understandings about practice, it is practice-led.

Practice-based Research is an original investigation undertaken in order to gain new knowledge partly by means of practice and the outcomes of that practice. Claims of originality and contribution to knowledge may be demonstrated through creative outcomes which may include artefacts such as images, music, designs, models, digital media or other outcomes such as performances and exhibitions Whilst the significance and context of the claims are described in words, a full understanding can only be obtained with direct reference to those outcomes. A practice-based PhD is distinguishable from a conventional PhD because creative outcomes from the research process may be included in the submission for examination and the claim for an original contribution to the field are, held to be demonstrated through the original creative work.
Practice-based doctoral submissions must include a substantial contextualisation of the creative work. This critical appraisal or analysis not only clarifies the basis of the claim for the originality and location of the original work, it also provides the basis for a judgement as to whether general scholarly requirements are met.  This could be defined as judgement of the submission as a contribution to knowledge in the field, showing doctoral level powers of analysis and mastery of existing contextual knowledge, in a form that is accessible to and auditable by knowledgeable peers.

Practice-led Research is concerned with the nature of practice and leads to new knowledge that has operational significance for that practice. The main focus of the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within practice. In a doctoral thesis, the results of practice-led research may be fully described in text form without the inclusion of a creative outcome. The primary focus of the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within practice. Such research includes practice as an integral part of its method and often falls within the general area of action research. The doctoral theses that emerge from this type of practice related research are not the same as those that include artefacts and works as part of the submission.

Differences in Practice-based and Practice-led Research

The use of the term practice-based research has become widespread but it has yet to be characterised in detail in a way that is agreed across the various fields of research where it is in use. There are differences in conceptual and applied uses of the term between those fields where it is most often found: design, health, creative arts, and education.  There are, in fact, differences in the type of research in respect of whether it is practice-based or led.

In design research, for example, where the nature of practice is a major research topic and is often conducted by research specialists rather than design practitioners, the emphasis is on achieving new knowledge about the nature of practice and how to improve it, rather than creating and reflecting on new artefacts. By contrast, in the visual arts, the emphasis is on creative process and the works that are generated from that process: the artefact plays a vital part in the new understandings about practice that arise.
It is important to note that the term practice-based research rather than practice-led research is used the area of health research. Here it may include any of the following, but not limited to: literature reviews including systematic examination of intervention and outcome measures, program evaluation clinical trials, evaluation or revision of health care protocols, policies and procedures, pilot projects and peer-reviewed studies
Link

My thoughts

An aspect of the debate regarding what is original knowledge which I find interesting is the notion that any original practice contribution, ie an installation, painting, digital installation is considered to be new knowledge. I just hope my assessors agree.  One of the problems I am finding with a practice based research PhD is ensuring that the thesis stays relevant to the practice element. I have found it all too easy to be side tracked down a new thread and lose sight of the main question. But it is early days yet. One of the most rewarding aspects of my research to date is the realisation that I am discovering my own voice. The essays I have written over the past 12 months have tended to be more like literature reviews and historical treatise rather than polemical insight but the last couple have been much more argumentative. Progress is being made, that is the main thing at this stage.

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