Researching the Relational in Practices

Abstract

In this chapter I turn to the challenges facing researchers who attempt to capture the relational turn in expertise. In other words, what are the objects of enquiry and how do we get to grips with them as researchers? The chapter briefly reprises the main themes of the book; discusses the demands of a focus on the shifting intertwining of mind and world; and describes some of the approaches taken by researchers who study practices using the analytic resources to be found in the Vygotskian legacy. Topics covered include identifying the object of enquiry; background and foreground in research design; discursive approaches to researching professional practices; narratives and personal trajectories; and interventionist research. The chapter then concludes with a summary of the challenges of researching the relational turn.