Interpreting practice: producing practical wisdom from qualitative study of practitioner experience

Abstract

This paper discusses methodological challenges in researching practice. The primary challenge discussed arises from the view that practice is inextricable from its performance, and that performance is embedded in social relations, material infrastructures and historical context. The paper argues for a philosophical hermeneutics approach that works with practitioner-informants to explicate a model of variables salient to practitioners, which, in concert, would support practical wisdom in decision-making. A further methodological challenge discussed in the paper is that of defining the object of practice. The paper argues for avoiding tight definitions in favour of discovering from the lived experience of informants a recognisable ‘family likeness’ in relation to the object of practice. The paper shows how one research team responded to the challenges by its choices of stance, lenses through which to attend to information, selection of sources, and how to discern and present emergent insights.