making sense of professional transformation: sifting potential theories

There's a lot more to be said here, but for now it's enough to say that I've jotted down some of the 'likley candidates': theories or philosophical approaches that may be useful in developing my theoretical frame. As they are not yet sorted, or relationships mapped, I think the next step will be to look at a) common themes and b) tensions or contradictions I need to think about a little more. See my previous post to make more sense of this!

grounding the research approach

If this blog was about impressing people, it might not have done such a great job. Instead, my aim is to try to be a little 'real' and post up questions and thoughts as I have them. Selfishly, this is useful for me in structuring the process of reflection and seeking contributions along the way - but I hope it's beginning to reflect the values I've prized over years as a community worker and professional in children's services. 

To do this, I can feel a mind map coming on. I'm still at that stage (as you might have guessed) of 'locating' my views and perspectives within a wider theoretical / philosophical landscape. I'm wondering if a visual map of some kind might just help - it's like I've come across labels and theories along the way that all 'make sense' but not I need to get them out of the bag, lay them out and go - 'do they hang together'?

One principle that has been important to me for many years has been to work in a way that allows others to question, develop, be encouraged, be challenged and open to new things - whether that by views on faith, approach to creativity, community development activity or supporting (lifelong) learners. Many of the principles found in the work of Paulo Freire about critical pedagogy fit with that view for me. What effect might this approach have, though?:

• It might ensure that research generates data from people who are owning or at least participating in an informed and empowered way in the learning process - and would have less to do with the idea we often generate around research 'subjects'.
• It might focus attention on the ideas of conscious reflection and developing awareness, as opposed to me doing all the 'sense making'. Participants are best placed to do this initially, and I see it my job to empower them to be able to do this first stage of both generating data and theorising (ref. the principles of grounded theory I've previously touched upon).
• It would involve a thoroughly ethical approach to research, respecting people's experiences, the experience of reflecting and the consequences of individuals 'becoming aware' of why and how they do what they do as they relate to various social objects, most importantly other people.

discounting psychoanalytic insights?

I've already suggested that my preferred theoretical frame for my research is rooted in social psychology, and more specifically, symbolic interactionism (see below). However, I was making notes from Brid Featherstone's good book, "Contemporary Fatherhood: theory policy and practice" for some teaching next semester, and was given cause to think (goodness...what next?). The impression I got was that social constructivist theories such as those I find useful - are based on the premise that concepts or practices are the product of communities or groups - they focus on modeling of identity or behaviour; but that psychoanalytic theory questions the simplicity of this, offering a closer look at the 'inner world'?

Hmm. Where does this leave me? Does this insight prompt further study and perhaps even suggest a necessary adaptation to my preferred theoretical frame? Does social psychology need the insight psychoanalytic theory promises? ...and most importantly, isn't psychoanalysis (as I tend to think at the moment) a load of old twaddle? Ha!

Rebbecca C. Curtis edited a book in 1991 titled "The relational self: theoretical convergences in psychoanalysis and social psychology". My casual flick through the book suggests the two disciplines have shared some questions, and that social psychology has indeed begun, since the publication of Duval and Wickland's 1972 "A theory of objective self awareness" to address the issue of the 'self'. So, it's not an either / or?. Well, early sections suggest social psychology fails to take account of the ways in which we organise our 'selves' and how factors such as anxiety affects our functions. This seems to be worth one of those mental notes for future reading, one which will serve as a critical question over the literature I'll take a look at. I suspect at this stage introducing some critical filter to my early reading will be helpful, even if I find that social psychology and symbolic interactionism has either addressed these questions about the inner dynamics of the self or has a rationale for not bothering with them.

I better get that book, or it'll haunt me - I don't want to build an approach to research which is based on a simplistic premise. Don't get me wrong, no single perspectives will cover all the angles, but I'd like to arrive at a theoretical frame that 'does the job'. 

Now that's got me thinking - I need to define what job it has to do: what insight do I need? Damn; is this what this PhD is going to be like?

Thinking beyond the first proposal

I'm quite an organised person (well, depends on who you ask!) but I'm scratching my head at the moment. What's the best way to take the proposal I've drafted and moving it on? Like any big project, the idea of it can be daunting. Where do I start? How do you become one of those annoying PhD students who gabble fluently about their 'work' like they've had a huge amount of data downloaded to their brain like Neo in the Matrix?

 My Amazon wish list suggests dozens of books I could usefully read, but I need a more strategic approach. Realistically, my proposal barley touches the surface of what I want to look at, so I guess I could break key elements - theoretical frame, methodology and methods, key search terms for literature review and so on - and work on those. Yes - that's it. See? already I know I've lots to do! 

Oh, this blog might just help me. It may also provide entertainment to those who visit ("*Really?* oh, that's what I used to think before I was twenty years into my Phd...").

First note on methodology

OK, at this stage it's about introducing (in a fairly un organised
manner!) elements of my thinking about this proposed research into
understanding how professional practice changes in 'communities' of
practitioners within UK children's services. This time it's a stab at
methodology - in other words, how I will collect data. I need to be
honest here - I've got a picture in my head of how it could be. How
'unacademic' you might say: well, perhaps, but at least a blog affords
the opportunity together assumptions 'out there' and to think
critically about them. For me, these early posts are kinds of
'markers' which will no doubt move.

Anyway, enough of that - the picture I see is a creative, Interactive
one - activity based explorations and reflections that will give
people ways to talk about why they do what they do. I'm wanting to
combine the idea of situational mapping (Clarke, 2005) with
modelmaking and map drawing. The details of situational mapping are
for another post, but it's enough to say right now that it reflects
the principles of symbolic interactionism (see previous post) and
grounded theory. The principle of model and map making is about
getting people to articulate things about themselves and their actions
in relation to other 'social objects'. Plus, I'm an avid visual artist
and doodled and passionatley believe I the usefulness of the visual to
promote reflection and discussion, especially when the subject can
seem a little abstract. This needs to work in the real world with real
people who are not interested in 'looking clever'.

I'll come back to this as a theme but am putting this marker down to
get me started. There.

From experience to theory

One of my early challenges has been to find ways to think again about my own experiences of professional transformation (for want of a better phrase). Like many of us, I was able to reflect on my professional journey, but simply recounting experiences wasn't the aim here - it was to make sense of the experiences and choices I have made. I really value my diverse career to date, and this variety has afford me different perspectives on working with children and families in all sorts of contexts.

So: I practiced what I lecture, which is to use theory to prompt a deeper insight and to help me develop a language around the theme of changing professional identity and practice. I've spent a good year reading around before I even prepared by PhD proposal identifying perspectives, testing them, considering limitations and contradictions and wondering what sort of 'hybrid' perspective might give me a useful frame of reference. Although it's early days, here's a few steps in (one branch) of my journey towards a specific frame of reference:

• I've started with sociology: that is, I'm interested in social activity. For now, it might just be useful to say that within the very broad field of sociology I'm relating to Weber's (1864 - 1920) interpretive sociology, which aims to relate to a group or culture on their own terms or frames of reference.
• OK, so to be a little more specific, I found that pragmatism offered some useful perspectives and gave more insight into 'social worlds'. Associated with theorists such as John Dewey (1859 - 1952) Pragmatism suggests that a) we all interpret our environment, b) knowledge is learnt and used in so far as it's useful to us, c) we only notice what we want to or what we see as useful, d) studying people's actions is significant.
• A step further was to look at the theoretical propositions around symbolic interactionism. This perspective was developed by George Herbert Mead (1863 - 1931) and his student Herbert Blumer (1900 - 1987) amongst others. I found it helpful as a perspective because it suggests a) social interaction leads us to do what we do, b) people are not just 'acted upon' by others or society, we think and act, c) people define the situation they are in (supportive by interaction and thinking), d) the cause of action is a response to the present situation, even if it draws on perspectives shaped in the past.

So, that's a really simplified version of that particular part of the journey.

A blog about....what?

Sounds a little specific doesn't it? Well, perhaps - but I hope, like me, you're interested in how people change and how working with others changes everyone along the way. You might even fall into the following categories of reader:

• People interested in why we do what we do at work, and how we ended up like that. Perhaps you can reflect on your own personal or professional journey and think about how you have changed, who (or what) has influenced you?
• Academics (students, researchers, authors) interested in sociology, children's services and theories of practice.
• People working in (or just interested in) children's services - and how professionals work together in multi professional, possibly 'integrated' services like Sure Start Children's Centres. 
• My wife, who might just wonder what on earth I do at work (no; I know you know...really).
• People who ended up on the wrong blog. Ooops.

In the hope that I persist with this blog (it's a bit of a 'pilot' at this stage), I thought it might be good to reflect on why on earth I want to post up these thoughts. Although I'm a senior lecturer at a University, I have not always done that. In fact, I've only recently joined the strange institution that is higher education. I've always been fascinated about why people do what they do and how they influence or are influenced. I started as an art student who quickly moved (through a year out placement with a church in West London) to a youth and community worker. This led to me volunteering with an international AIDS charity, setting up a schools community education network in association with 2/3 world charities, developing my community arts practice and lots more. I then took these skills and became a lead community development worker with a local authority (council) which involved developing groups, project management, supporting volunteers and community networks, funding, building community centres and so on. All of this has involved children and their families. I got involved with specific 'early years' work through joining one of the early 'Sure Start Local Programmes' initially with a team manager / community development remit. This ended as being an 'area lead' for two large children's centres, running my own consultancy business part time and a whole heap of other things. I'm now an academic. Finally, overarching themes and 'frames' for me has been my own christian faith, identity as an amateur visual artist and being both a son, husband and father.

Looking back on this lot (was I having a late thirties moment of reflection?) prompted me to look into others' experiences of professional change. I think I've had a strange 'unplanned' journey and I know I've changed over the years - but I'm not quite sure how. Part of the answer for me lies in asking others' about their experience of professional transformation, asking things like:

• how do our interactions with others affect our perceptions and actions at work?
• what more can we know about the 'informal' development of professional practice in children's service settings?
• how do we create our own 'story' that frames and interprets the professional world we find ourselves in?

A first post

Apologies: I'm just getting going - so nothing to see yet. I'll be adding to this blog soon.