ABSTRACT
There is increasing interest in practitioner research in social work (Mitchell, Shaw and Lunt 2008). This chapter discusses practitioner and practice educator involvement in evaluation and action research, setting this in the context of wider debates about knowledge for social work. Detailed discussion of research philosophy and methods is beyond the scope of this chapter. However, references to relevant texts are used throughout that you could follow up. Undertaking practitioner research can help you exercise professional leadership through improving service effectiveness and promoting a culture of research-informed practice. In your role as PDE or practice educator it can enhance your teaching and help you better support practitioners and students undertaking their own research. The scope of the research may vary from an individual practitioner engaged in reflective self-study to a whole-system commitment to large-scale change (Coghlan and Brannick 2005).
