Practice research aka practice as research, practice based research or/and practitioner researcher is a form of academic

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

which incorporates practice in the

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...

or research output. Rather than seeing the relationship between practice and theory as a dichotomy, as has sometimes traditionally been the case (see

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

: theory and practice heading), there is a growing body of practice research academics across a number of disciplines who use practice as part of their research. For example, the practice-based research network (PBRN) within clinical medical research.

Practice-led research in the arts and design

Within

arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

departments there are ongoing debates about how to define this emerging research phenomenon, and there are a variety of models of practice research (practice-as-research, practice-based, practice-led, mixed-mode research practice and practice through research), see for example screen media practice research. The potential, nature and scope for this research has been debated from the 1990s. Sir Christopher Frayling in 1993 adapted Herbert Read's model of education through art to describe different ways of thinking about research, noting that research could be ''for'' practice, where research aims are subservient to practice aims, ''through'' practice, where the practice serves a research purpose, or ''into'' practice, such as observing the working processes of others. Bruce Archer's statement in 1995 shows the growing recognition of arts practice as research at this time, "There are circumstances where the best or only way to shed light on a proposition, a principle, a material, a process or a function is to attempt to construct something, or to enact something, calculated to explore, embody or test it." This led to the acceptance of practice research in these disciplines to be reviewed alongside traditional research disciplines in the sphere of

Higher Education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

a debate supported by the work of Michael Biggs, John Freeman, Kristina Niedderer, Katy Macleod, Darren Newbury and others. The UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council had a steering committee devoted to practice-led research and its report was completed in September 2007, titled AHRC Research Review in Practice-Led Research in Art, Design and Architecture. This informed continuing discussions by the Council for Higher Education in Art & Design (CHEAD) and the AHRC resulting in an evolved notion of practice as research in art, design and architecture, media, and creative writing. This in turn brought an increasing recognition in the UK of the ways in which creative departments contribute to research culture, a potential which informs elements of the Research Excellence Framework 2014.

References

External links

* Freeman, John, 'Blood, Sweat & Theory: Research through Practice in Performance'. Libri: Oxford * Schroeder, Franziska (2015). 'Bringing practice closer to research - seeking integrity, sincerity and authenticity'. In: ''International Journal of Education through Art. Practice-based Research in Art and Design. ''Guest Editors: Stuart MacDonald and Julian Malins
Academia Site
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