The study design had to adhere to the specific requirements of the work-based doctorate where the final thesis is called a project and is linked to a module with specific (module) Project learning outcomes and aims (DPS 5260). In addition, the research methods used for data collection had to also be capable of answering the overarching research questions. Integrating these two dimensions was a complex task. In essence, I was required to research my own professional practice through undertaking a project within the remit of my normal employment within my areas of responsibility. This meant researching a work based or professional problem that I was grappling with but also meant undertaking ‘a work project’ within my role to change an aspect of practice and improve it. Throughout the research, changes to social work education and the policy and practices regarding care leavers did shift and change but not to the extent that required radical changes to the research strategy. The final piece of the research strategy and design shows how I made changes and demonstrates evidence of achievement and specific outcomes. The ‘Project Activity’ chapter outlines what I did and when and charts the timeline for this study.
104 Action Research
Action research is used most often as an approach in educational, social welfare and community based research and has been described as ‘amenable to practice-orientated contexts’ (Cullen, Bradford and Green, 2012, p15). The origins of action research highlight how it was used first by Lewin (1946) as a method of understanding organisations so that change could take place. I adapted the cyclical action research process of Kemmis and Wilkinson (1998, p21) and of Mc Niff and Whitehead (2009, p15). However, the approach I took had to fit with the requirements of both the workplaces my research took place within so compromises and changes were necessary. The focus on creating collaborative change also coheres agreeably with work-based research. Robson (2011) describes how the purpose of action research is primarily to ‘influence or change some aspect of whatever is the focus of the research’ (p.188). In my doctoral study, participatory action research approaches were used to influence and change social work education and training across a university curriculum and the training of social workers in a local authority through working collaboratively with young people who have experience of being in the care system.
A key feature of action research is that the researcher collaborates with the research subjects who are the focus of the research. I used a participatory action research approach for some aspects of my study but due to the requirements of my academic programme it was not feasible for the young people to be involved in all aspects of the research process. Action research is participatory by its very nature and Mc Niff (2013) presents a range of case studies with examples of its application. One of the key areas where action research has been developed is in the field of education with collaboration between teachers and researchers
105 often referred to (Frankham and Howes, 2006; Robson, 2011). In this study the collaboration was with young people who had been ‘in care’.
The action research cycle involves planning a change, acting and then observing what happens following the change, reflecting on these processes, planning further action and then repeating the cycle. Data gathered as part of the process of change should be analysed as this informs any further actions. In simple terms, action research is described as taking action, doing research and then telling the story and sharing findings about what has been done and why it is of importance (Mc Niff and Whitehead 2009, p11). A key tenet of action research is making claims for improvement, which is fully discussed and analysed in my findings
chapter. The challenges and issues regarding the reporting of evidence and the claims for improvement that may be made when action research has been undertaken are discussed by (Mc Niff and Whitehead 2009, p15). They argue that action researchers may encounter problems when moving from describing the alleged improvements to practice to actually providing evidence and a robust action research methodology showing that the correct steps were taken. They discuss how the following steps should be used in action-research:
Identification of the research issue which is how to improve practice Formulation of a research question
Gathering data to show the current situation Taking action to improve the situation
Monitoring actions and gathering more data to show the situation as it develops Generating evidence from the data
Articulating the significance of what I was undertaking in relation to the researcher’s learning and the learning of others
106 Modifying ideas and own practice in light of evaluation of the evidence gathered (Mc Niff and Whitehead 2009, p15)
In my study, the above approach provided a useful guide for conducting the research
although I made minor amendments to the model to fit with my action-research study. In the following section I outline a key stage of the research process which was working with the young people to prepare them for the delivery of the training.
Application of action research: training with the young people
Participatory and collaborative models of research in social work with service users and their involvement in training is discussed in a special edition of Social Work Education (2006, vol.
25, no.4.). In my doctoral study in order that the young people who were involved in the
research could actually teach or train the students and social workers it was necessary for them as a group to receive training about how to do this. This took place after the survey questionnaires and focus groups were completed with the young people recruited from the focus groups. The local authority paid for this training and I joined the young people in the training sessions which were called, ‘Total Respect’ and were developed by an organisation called ‘Children’s Rights Officers and Advocates (CROA, 2006). The ethos of the ‘Total Respect’ training programme is that professionals and young people should work together as trainers. This means that the training programme for the prospective trainers has to
commence with honest discussions about what co-working means, what the issues of power are and how will the group respond to them. There are key exercises and scenarios which are practised and discussed over the three days of training, which was facilitated by a CROA trainer. Seven young people attended the ‘Total Respect’ training and three young people
107 then went on to deliver the training workshops to students and social workers focused on how to communicate with young people.