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Opening the Black Box — Mobilizing Practical Knowledge in Social Research

Methodological Reflections based on a Study of Social Work Practice

Oslo University College, Norway, Monica.Kjorstad{at}sam.hio.no

Based on an empirical study of social workers' implementation of a workfare policy in Norway and on contemporary literature, the article focuses on the development of knowledge in social work and on the interplay between practice-based and research-based knowledge. The interaction between practitioners and researchers seldom seems to be a partnership with a shared agenda for the production of knowledge, and it is demonstrated how a more constructive cooperation and dialogue might be developed. A main proposition of the article is that it is necessary to understand the generative processes that determine whether a specific practice is successful or not. Through dialogue between the social worker in the field and the researcher, combining theory and everyday knowledge, the latent and hidden mechanisms that are decisive for the outcome of social work practice may be revealed.

Key Words: critical realism • Mode 2 • practice research • research methodology • situated knowledge

Qualitative Social Work, Vol. 7, No. 2, 143-161 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1473325008089627


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