Reflecting over a practice

Abstract

Explores the possibilities of basing scientific investigation on the practical experiences gained by the author when he participated in the development of the Student Information System of a Finnish university. The practical process which lasted over a decade contained several theoretically interesting issues which could be formulated as meaningful research problems. They concerned the design of acts, the evaluation of the outcomes of the various phases of the process, and the formulation of the experience to models which could be transferred to other contexts. The overall analysis method is reflection‐in‐action in the form suggested by Donald Schön. Each practical problem is paraphrased through reflection‐in‐action which yields a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon at hand. This frames the situation; the framing is necessary for the solution that is to be designed. Indicates that reflection‐in‐action can yield research results just as valid as other types of organizational studies. It is not superior to other possible approaches such as action research or organizational ethnography, but the threats to its quality, like the danger of partiality and revisionism of the investigator involved, are compensated for because the researcher has excellent access to the target organization and even confidential data.