ERIC Number: EJ987071
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0729-4360
EISSN: N/A
Theoretical Trajectories within Communities of Practice in Higher Education Research
Tummons, Jonathan
Higher Education Research and Development, v31 n3 p299-310 2012
In this article, the role of theory in higher education research is problematised using a communities of practice framework. Drawing on a case study derived from the author's own published work and doctoral study, the article concludes that the differential uses of theory within communities of research practice can be fruitfully explored, in part, through a consideration of the ways in which the explicit use of theory by newcomers to the community is, or is not, sustained as community membership deepens. The article concludes by suggesting that the differential use of theory amongst communities of educational researchers constitutes a problematic object of practice that requires critical exploration.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Postsecondary Education as a Field of Study, Theories, Role, Communities of Practice, Educational Research, Educational Researchers
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A