Developing a Framework for Research in Practice in Adult
Literacy These national activities, in concert with important initiatives at the provincial/ territorial and community levels, have created a great deal of momentum for research in practice. But there is an unevenness of activity, support and capacity across the country. The infrastructure to support research in practice is inconsistent. Infrastructure includes a variety of factors such as leadership in promoting and supporting research in practice, provision of funds, availability of mentors or research friends, and employment stability for literacy practitioners, among many others. Consequently, in some provinces research in practice is flourishing and in others it is non-existent. In addition, there are limited spaces for discussion of issues that concern all those involved in research in practice. Since 2003, for example, no organization has stepped forward to sponsor another research in practice institute. Indeed, practitioners are often reluctant to take on projects that are national in scope without an explicit mandate from the field. It is important to ensure that practitioners in every part of the country have access to opportunities to engage in research in practice and that spaces are opened up for the exchange and transfer of knowledge, experience, and best practices. In order to identify and address the disparities that exist, and create new opportunities, a strategic framework is required to guide practice and policy. This project will address that need by: (1) conducting an inventory of research in practice in adult literacy in English speaking Canada; (2) making comprehensive recommendations for the future growth and development of research in practice based on the results of the inventory; and (3) creating opportunities for practitioners across the country to be part of the development of the framework. The inventory and recommendations will build on and enhance the information and knowledge documented since 1996. In that year, Norton and Laberge surveyed six consultants about practitioner research in Canada. The consultation identified both an interest in research in practice and a number of potential challenges to practitioners engaged in research, including practitioners’ need for support and resources to do research. The survey led to an October 1997 research in practice seminar in Edmonton. Eighteen literacy researchers, practitioners and consultants met to discuss the potential and possible future applications of literacy research in practice in Canada. Literacy practitioner research networks and projects that had been discussed or attempted in parts of Canada were reviewed, as were some of the established networks in Australia, the UK and the USA. The seminar heightened interest in developing organized approaches to supporting or sustaining research in practice initiatives. In 1998 the NLS published Enhancing literacy research in Canada (NLS,1998), which highlighted the need for research capacity building in Canada. This report outlined a framework for supporting literacy research and included practitioner research as one important direction for literacy research in Canada. In 1999 Horsman and Norton wrote a Framework to encourage and support adult literacy practitioner involvement in literacy research in Canada. This framework offers a broad definition of research in practice, one that has gained prevalence within the adult literacy field and is used in the current proposal. In 2002, Quigley and Norton published "It simply makes us better:" Learning from Literacy Research in Practice Networks, A Resource for Literacy Research in Practice in Canada. Based on a study of eleven research in practice networks or projects in the UK, Australia and the USA, the resource offered ideas for planning and supporting research in practice based on information from the eleven networks. The appendix included a brief description of research in practice initiatives in Canada to that time. |