Abstract
Interdisciplinary professional doctoral pathways and their associated learning trajectories are now a recognised mechanism of operationalising translational research from the context of work-based praxis. The longstanding debates of how best to bridge the theory-practice nexus in healthcare remains a challenge, although the progressive development of professional doctorate programmes has seen a rise in the number of clinical and professional practice doctorates across Western educational providers. This chapter provides an insight into how core concepts of performativity, transformative learning, and the potential to measure the impact of knowledge translation at the front line of person-centred care can all influence the holistic provision of doctoral education pathways with strategic relevance and operational pragmatism.
‘If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor’ (Ludwig Boltzmann 1844-1906)
TopThe History Of Knowledge Economies In Allied Health
The relatively expedited process of relationship building in the needs led knowledge that came from the late nineties, had an impact on the overall dynamic between stakeholders, academic institutions, and the need to equip personnel with the skills of systematic research (Peters, 2020a). Amidst this polemic change and the emergence of a neoliberalist system of Higher Education, there had been longstanding criticism of the relevance of traditional, theoretical doctoral programmes such as the PhD, which bore little relevance to the bridging of the theory-practice nexus. Next, the emphasis on developing the concept of the ‘researching professional’ versus the ‘professional researcher’ was compounded in the context of the allied health professions as a legacy of the 1980’s preliminary introduction of ‘evidence based practice’, arguably the forefather of the rationale for all degree professionals across the sector. This need to be able to critically evaluate the current and extant literature in the process of informed clinical decision making and deliberative policy analysis became a core skill in the armoury of healthcare providers and was also arguably used as a means of rationing resources and eliminating the anecdotal evidence base of several allied health professions in the UK.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Case Study: A methodology or method focused on the framing of a particular phenomenon or person, group, or situation over a designated period of time.
Impact: Something that has a marked effect or influence.
Allied Health Professions: Healthcare professionals who are involved with the delivery of health or related services pertaining to the assessment, diagnosis, management, and prevention of diseases. For example, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, radiography and speech and language therapy.
Knowledge Transfer: Is a diverse range of activities used in the support of mutually beneficial collaborations within and between universities, businesses and the public sector for the civic benefit of society.
Disruptive Innovation: Refers to the innovation that transforms previously inaccessible products and ensures their availability to wider more generalised populations.
Transformative Learning: A process of individually or collectively changing perspectives, which has three distinguishable dimensions of psychological response, convictional attitude, and behavioural change.
Action Research: Also, often and interchangeably, termed Participatory Action Research (PAR), co-operative enquiry and action learning is a research approach focused on the systematic improvement and positive change of the structure and agency afforded to people within context specific settings.
Performativity: A philosophical means of describing the power of language to effect change in the world