What is Self-Study?

Educational leadership and self-study – nature, purpose and process.

Practitioner research as a form of professional development has gained significant prominence internationally. There is much literature on the importance and value of teachers and other practitioners engaging in research and much attention has been given to the importance of leading school improvement through enquiry or research. The nature and purpose of this research is, however, greatly contested.

Research at the most basic level informs, influences, and perhaps even dictates, policies and practices being promoted in schools, school districts/local authorities, universities and governments. Practitioners – whether teachers in formal or informal leadership roles, leaders and managers – if they are to be critical, must understand research and be able to engage meaningfully with it, not just be passive consumers. They should be able to become producers of knowledge through their own research activity. This kind of learning and development is transformative and will have the most significant and sustainable impact on practice.

However, research is often inaccessible to practitioners, whether teachers or managers. Also research must be appropriate to context and be designed to help understand the complexities of educational contexts and learning and teaching. This does raise questions about what kind of research, for what purposes, and who decides?

First we need to understand what is distinctive about self-study and how this is located within broader research approaches. Broadly speaking self-study sits within the ‘family’ of action research. Unlike action research, self-study is not explicitly or immediately concerned with ‘action’, per se, as a result of or as part of the study. By that I am referring to the need to see immediate and observable changes in actions, practices, behaviours. Instead self-study is more concerned with exploring and interrogating attitudes, beliefs, values and assumptions of the practitioner researcher^[1]. The self is the key focus for investigation, whereas action research may look more at practices.

Self-study then can be described as an opportunity to take a step back to review and consider one’s assumptions. It is potentially about reframing, reconsidering, renegotiating and reconstructing practices and coming to see and understand oneslf as a leader, in this case. It asks how did I become the teacher/practitioner I am? The leader I am?

Self-study, because of the critical focus on self, can be a daunting and uncomfortable process. As one questions and challenges own beliefs, assumptions and practices it is possible that you begin to see yourself differently. Aspects of your practice may not be as coherent with your beliefs as you thought, or perhaps your beliefs change or evolve as you ask deeper questions about what you are doing and why you are doing it. It is about transforming your own understanding.

It is important that all practitioners are able to engage in this research and have opportunities for this form of systematic and deeper questioning of self and practice, regardless of position, role or responsibility in school. Until we question ourselves, our own assumptions and understand research from that standpoint, we will never really meaningfully be able to engage with educational research – either to produce knowledge or to critically consume knowledge from elsewhere. This questioning of self must be conducted as a rigorous and systematic research rather than relying on more reflective practices. Reflective practices are essential but these do not go far enough to critically question, expose and interrogate assumptions.

In adopting this position with regards to the importance of practitioners engaging in research we are taking a deliberate position on the nature of professionalism. If practitioners are engaging in research and developing research knowledge and skill then we are locating them as active creators of knowledge and not just passive consumers of knowledge generated elsewhere about education and educational practices. This position promotes practitioners as questioning and exploring educational practices and policies rather than simply implementers of those policies. This can be a risky endeavour, particularly when this appears to be at odds with traditional structures and practices in education. As leaders in school it is important to know and recognise the nature and purpose and power of engaging in this research and working in these ways.

However, whilst self-study, and action research more generally, can be a deeply transformative activity there are dangers that it can be used to serve technical purposes. There are arguments that suggest action research has been used as a way to co-op people to buy into predetermined ‘best practices’ and ideas about ‘what works’ promoted by central or local government. It is therefore essential that we have a deep understanding about the various purposes underpinning research. At times it will be entirely appropriate for practitioner research to focus on investigating ‘what works’ but only when there is already a deep understanding of why.

You should use the Research wiki page on self-study to help build up your knowledge, understandings and ideas about what they mean, the nature and purpose of this kind of research. Use the space to share thoughts and readings with colleagues.

^[1] For the purposes of this course I shall refer to you all as ‘practitioner researchers’ to encompass the range of roles and contexts. Some people are teachers in formal leadership positions, some are teachers taking on leadership responsibilities, some individuals are in more formal management/leadership roles – everyone is, in some shape or form, a practitioner in an educational context.