Author Biography
Maida Finch is an associate professor and department chair of Literacy Studies at Salisbury University. She teaches and mentors students in the doctoral program and her scholarship focuses on practitioner research.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to understand what empirical practitioner research looks like, specifically to document and describe the methodological qualities of it. The author used content analysis to examine 74 accounts of practitioner’s systematic and intentional inquiry in literacy contexts. Findings offer evidence that can enhance the credibility of empirical practitioner research. For example, practitioner researchers often being their inquiry with a research question or goal, are more likely than not to identify a research design, tend to collect multiple sources of data, and analyze the data in appropriate ways. Less common was attention to trustworthiness considerations. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening the methodological credibility for this type of inquiry and for viewing practitioners as creators of knowledge.
Recommended Citation
Finch, Maida A.
(2021)
"Making Sense of Methods: What Does Systematic and Intentional Practitioner Research Look Like?,"
Journal of Practitioner Research: Vol. 6
:
Iss.
2
, Article 3.
https://doi.org/10.5038/2379-9951.6.2.1195
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jpr/vol6/iss2/3
