When practice and research meet: demonstration of a practice research methodology in co-producing an assessment tool

Abstract

Practice research is a meeting point between practice and research involving collaborations and negotiations to ensure findings from research are usable to improve services and living conditions. It is still embryonic and can be challenging for novice researchers or experienced researchers without adequate understanding. For social science researchers and practitioners who are interested in improving service delivery and shaping positive outcomes, practice research methodology is a go-to approach. However, there is inadequate clarity about how core theoretical foundations of practice research are represented in the methodology. In this article, we demonstrate the application of a practice research methodology in the co-production of an assessment tool for social workers in Ghana. While our case study focused on the production of knowledge within social work practice, the principles and theories of practice research are applicable to other cognate social sciences disciplines where an aim is to produce knowledge usable in practice.