Critical research methodology

The idea is to develop a research methodology, which resonates with a critical education. In much research, as expressed by a "naturalistic" paradigm, the aim of research is to clarify what might exist, and the role of the researcher has been pointed as to do observations trying not to influence what is observed. The intention is to analyse research as a participatory enterprise. The quality of participatory research is analysed with reference to the relationship between a current situation in the classroom (CS), an imagined situation (IS) which has been suggested as an idealised educational possibility and, finally, an arranged situation (AS) which is an experimental practice. Particular processes are discussed: "Pedagogical imagination", which represents a relationship between the CS and the IS; "practical organisation", which represents a relationship between the CS and the AS; and, finally, "explorative reasoning", which represents the justification of the insight of the IS, based on a study of the AS. The quality of critical research can then be discussed in terms of "pedagogical imagination", "practical organisation" and "critical reasoning" – i.e. in terms of cooperation between students, teachers and researchers. This approach to research and educational development has now been applied in a number of studies in South Africa, Brazil and Denmark.