ABSTRACT
The relationship between theory and practice and research is one that has been touched upon elsewhere in this book, without the main terms being defined. Theory is usually taken to be the body of knowledge that a professional occupation regards as essential in order to practise. However, I have already raised problems about this in at least three ways: first, the role of the educator has become much more complex, so that the knowledge necessary to practise may relate only to a specialized part of the whole professional role; second, our understanding of knowledge itself has become much more complex so that, third, we now question the extent to which theory can actually be applied to practice since practice is a site for learning (Jarvis, 1999). Practice is a more self-evident term but its significance both as a site for learning and as being at the heart of practical knowledge has made it more significant in recent years. Research is also a learning concept but it is a process of learning conducted under stringent scientific conditions, and researching practice is usually a matter of case study rather than being in a position to generate generalized theory. Indeed, I have argued that in many situations a personal theory is generated from practising rather than the other way around. Additionally, I shall show that the interrelationship between these three and policy is also very complex. This chapter, therefore, has three main parts: the relationship between practice and theory, the interrelationship between research and practice, and the relationship between research and policy. Finally, the conclusion points the way forward with a forthcoming policy document from NIACE, the National institute of Adult continuing Education.
