Philosophy and Practice: A Philosopher in the Classroom?

Abstract

As I argued in Chap. 5, action research has some claim to be a form of research that brings research and practice into the most intimate relationship. It is easy to see or to represent action research as something standing in contrast with, or, more strongly, in opposition to, more theoretical or philosophical approaches to, for example, classroom practice. However, it will be my contention that this would be a serious error. Not only does action research itself depend on all sorts of philosophical premises for its own rationale, but, properly conceived it also requires its practitioners to reflect on their own educational philosophies, as well as to inquire empirically into the consequences of their actions. The chapter is structured by the distinction that I drew in Chap. 7 between (i) philosophy of research and (ii) philosophy in research. Philosophy of research refers to the ideas, rooted perhaps in epistemology, ethics, and social philosophy, which might underlie the idea and practice of action research, but of which action researchers themselves do not necessarily have to be aware. Philosophy in research refers to the ways in which, arguably at least, action researchers (among others) need to engage more self-consciously with philosophical questions. In developing this second argument, I shall draw extensively on the work of John Elliott, a philosopher who played a central role in the development of action research and someone who always regarded the two fields of educational inquiry as mutually dependent.