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Developing the role of schools as research organisations: the Sunfield experience
Author(s) -
Carpenter Barry
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of special education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1467-8578
pISSN - 0952-3383
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8578.2007.00458.x
Subject(s) - face (sociological concept) , learning disability , special education , educational research , pedagogy , discipline , psychology , medical education , special needs , public relations , sociology , medicine , political science , social science , developmental psychology , psychiatry
We are entering a new phase in learning about childhood disabilities. While we have found out much of what we need to know about their causes and aetiology, solutions to many of the challenges we will face in the future will come from the evidence base held by practitioners. Practitioners are ideally placed to carry out ‘real world’ research but they often need support in carrying out setting‐based enquiry. In this article, Barry Carpenter, Chief Executive and Director of Research at Sunfield, discusses the relationship between academic and practitioner research and the role of practitioners as researchers. He goes on to explore the development of a research culture in special schools, focusing on Sunfield, a residential special school for children with severe and complex learning disabilities. Barry Carpenter shows how research projects at Sunfield have generated evidence which has guided the school's development. The inter‐disciplinary approach adopted in this setting has encouraged involvement in research from many staff in diverse professions throughout the school.