Utilisation of a Collaborative Research Methodology for a Critical Realist Inquiry Into the Feasibility of Knowledge Evolution in the Academy and the Production of Interdisciplinary Practical Knowledge

Abstract

An inquiry into the feasibility of practical knowledge evolution in the academy, was conducted in collaboration by a Gynecologist-Obstetrician and two experienced psychotherapists. For thirteen years, the latter were Ed.D candidates at Derby University, UK, and due to impediments imposed by the institution, they were compelled to undertake many bureaucratic procedures. Working in collaboration, the team developed strategy, composed texts, and constructed a comprehensive chronological timeline of events, documented in correspondence between the doctoral candidates, University staff and supervisory authorities. The physician enrolled on the candidates’ psychotherapy training program, and being interested in the practical, theoretical and methodological considerations of their research, reviewed the candidates’ academic texts. Through dialog, the team produced practical knowledge in the interdisciplinary field of Psycho-Gynecology, and workshops on physician-patient communication, presented at three formal proceedings. The research demonstrated the practical importance of interdisciplinary research, and work in this ‘trialogic’ framework, facilitated elucidation of methodological understandings related to the evolution of practical knowledge. However, introducing innovative practical knowledge into the British academy remains a challenge.