Gatekeeper Engagement and the Importance of Phronesis-Praxis in School-Based Research
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Gatekeeper Engagement and the Importance of Phronesis‑Praxis in School‑Based Research Wendy Goff1 Received: 24 March 2020 / Accepted: 26 September 2020 © New Zealand Association for Research in Education 2020
Abstract While research that is embedded in schools is reported widely in education and psychological research literature, studies that focus on how researchers might navigate school-based gatekeepers is minimal. This study addresses this gap. The research presented in this paper reports on the recruitment process that was employed in a study that involved working in partnership with schools and teachers to refine a researcher created intervention. In this paper, gatekeepers in the research process are initially identified and the researcher-gatekeeper interaction is explicated. Clark’s seven mechanisms for gatekeeper engagement are drawn on to identify the supporters and challenges to gatekeeper engagement. These supporters and challenges are then examined through the conceptual framework of phronesis–praxis to critically analyse how the researcher navigated the researcher-gatekeeper relationship. This study provides insight into the importance of phronesis (practical wisdom) and how it can be used by researchers to navigate researcher-gatekeeper interactions to access research participants situated in school-based sites. A major finding of this study is that through adopting a phronetic approach to the research process a powerful way to navigate the researcher-gatekeeper relationship and gain a better understanding of access to research participants in school-based contexts emerges. It also provides an avenue in which educators; early career researchers; and doctoral students can begin to develop their research praxis. Keywords Gatekeepers · Phronesis · Phronesis–praxis · School-based research · Accessing research participants · Praxis
* Wendy Goff [email protected] 1
Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies
Introduction Gaining access to research participants is a critical component of any investigation. It can also be a challenging process that involves the careful navigation of an assortment of different people, systems, relationships and issues. A central difficulty in accessing and recruiting research participants within school contexts lies in the human aspect of the school environment. School personnel are diverse, and because of this diversity, the social structure of each school is different (Wanat 2008). Gaining access to research participants is not only unique to each study but it can also be unique in the same study, particularly if participants from different sites are sought. Access is an essential component of most studies. It is an independent step of the research process and can be defined as “obtaining the necessary permission to enter sites for the purpose of enrolling research participants” (Rice et al. 2007, p. 502). Access to educational contexts involves several steps. It also invol
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