Chapter 10- Action research

Exercise:

Imagine that you are tasked with designing and carrying out an action research project building on findings of two research projects with which I have been personally involved. 

Both studies have highlighted the differing ‘mindsets’ and lack of understanding of each others’ roles of the different professionals working at the intersection of mental health issues, childcare practice and child protection concerns.  In particular, these studies have shown the discrepancies between the thresholds of risk employed by child care social workers and those who had a psychiatric training (Barbour et al., 2002).  Other tensions were evident in relation to the conflicting priorities of those employed in child- and adult-focused services and between those working in the social service and health service context (Stanley et al., 2003). 

A more recent study of professional responses to children and young people with psychological and behavioural problems (Barbour et al., 2006) has, again, focused on problems of inter-agency and inter-professional communication.  This study has also identified the demands and expectations of differing work settings; lack of appreciation of each others’ roles and remits; and potentially conflicting professional models and priorities as giving rise to difficulties and barriers to developing effective multi-disciplinary responses.  It would appear from these studies that these differing ‘mindsets’ are formed early in the process of professional socialization, that these ‘run deep’ to the extent that they are taken-for-granted, and are not readily acknowledged as influencing decision-making, inter-agency and multi-professional work practices. 

Click here to download a list of suggested questions to help you in designing and carrying out your action research project.