Читать книгу Turning Ideas into Research - Barbara Fawcett - Страница 14

Researching is a dynamic activity that enables researchers to manage complex networks, to move between different levels, to interrogate material analytically and to respond to dimensions of power. Researching also necessitates engagement with social, cultural, political and ethical agendas and facilitates the making of links and connections. Overall, in this chapter we have sought to draw attention to the breadth of researching possibilities. To return to the question of ‘why do research?’ we want to emphasize how research can make a difference, not only in relation to findings and outcomes, but also with regard to process. Researchers want to explore, investigate and analyse areas that they have a strong interest in and where they believe there are new developments to be made, new insights to be had, or where what is currently going on clearly warrants further exploration. Although, as highlighted, utilizing research findings is not as straightforward as is often assumed, research can make a difference in complex contexts by taking account of policy and practice frameworks and by ensuring that research has policy and practice relevance. We argue that illuminating the interplay between policy and practice serves to bring the detail and processes to light and enhances the eventual research impact.