- “hands on ” knowledge production

Through practice research social work practice and social work research together is in a unique position to develop a research that can qualify both knowledge of and intervention in social life. Although being practiced for years we know little of what defines practice research or what the possibilities and the barriers are. Differencies that raises many questions: Is practice research a special research method? Is practice research only focusing on practice and questions raised by practice? Is practice research carried out by educated researchers, by practicioners or by both? Is practice research carried out by or in collaboration with service users? Can practice research aim only at producing analysis and findings or does it have to produce changes in social work – and to whom? Practice research is and can be looked upon from different angles, from different positions and with different interests. To understand, qualify and develop practice research it is necessary to conceptualize and define – to build up a common understanding of practice research or at least to obtain a better understanding of what the differences are and what they contain. As an introductionary note, it has to be emphasized that there is an essential difference between the researcher and a person who works in a profession: the researcher views research as a goal in itself while the practitioner views research as means. To the researcher, the research an