Evolving theory for better practice:

1
Evolving theory for better practice

• Preliminary outcomes of a UK Economics and Social
  Research Council seminar series on IPE
• Sarah Hean Bournemouth University, UK
• Hugh Barr CAIPE
• Marilyn Hammick CAIPE
• Margaret Miers University of West of England, UK
• Eloise Carr Bournemouth University, UK
• Martin Hind Bournemouth University, UK
• Claire Dickinson Newcastle University, UK
• Cath OHalloran University of Huddersfield, UK
• Alan Borthwick University of Southampton, UK
• Deborah Craddock University of Southampton, UK

2
Current position

• Antipathy, lack of underpinning in educational
  and professional practice, where used, lack of
  clear application
• Not theory less
• Evidence from conference (theories of team
  working, power, relationships between IPL and
  PBL, clinical micro systems, human systems
  methodology)
• Inductive creation of theory and deductive
  testing of theory (lens) (Paul Batalden)
• Deductive
• Have turned to other disciplines, mainly
  sociology, psychology and education, for theories
  that may have utility in IPE,
• e.g. contact theory, social identity theory,
  activity theory and adult educational theories.
• Superabundance of theories of potential use in
  IPE research.
• Structure provided by several authors Clark,
  2006, Colyer et al.2006 Barr et al. 2005

3
Aim of seminar series

• Consolidation exercise
• Develop an overview of the multitude of theory
• Compare and contrast theories
• Establish consensus on theoretical priorities in
  future IPE research
• Deductive rather than inductive exercise
• Developmental exercise
• Evolve prioritised key theories through
  discussion of potential application and testing
  in interprofessional education and research
• Promotional exercise
• Emphasise theoretical underpinnings of IPE and
  research to improve quality of the research and
  practice
• Improve accessibility and utility of theories for
  the practitioner (bridge the gap)

4

• Networking exercise
• Bring together expertise of educators and
  researchers from range of health and social care
  (HSC) education and psycho-social disciplines, to
  create forum through which researchers can
  debate, share, develop and strengthen research
  evidence base surrounding IPE

Encourage cross fertilisation of ideas, improve
communication between practitioners, researchers
within health/social care and other disciplines
(specifically those of sociology, psychology and
education). Encourage new collaborations and
networks between HSC and the education,
psychology and social science disciplines.
5
Seminar 1 Theoretical perspectives on
Interprofessional education plethora and
priorities

• 3 discussion papers, based on the classification
  presented by Barr et al. (2005) drew from the
  theory traditions of
• Education The application of contemporary
  learning theories in the field of IPE
  behaviourist, constructivist, adult learning
  theories (Hean, Craddock, OHalloran)
• Social psychology Theories of social identity
  and the contact hypothesis as applied to IPE
  (Dickinson and Hind)
• Sociology Key transitions influencing and
  affecting by interprofessional learning
  professional socialisation, workforce transition,
  interprofessionalism and knowledge in transition
  (Miers, Hammick, Borthwick, Carr)

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Seminar format

• How can we make this a creative process?
• Combined format of presentation followed by group
  work to explore application of theories to
  educational and professional practice.
• Consensus
• Before
• The perspective they bring to IPE (research,
  educator, practitioner)
• What they hoped to learn from seminar
• What they felt about theory in IPE
• How could IPE theory be developed in future
• After
• Key areas of learning
• Theories most useful
• Application to personal working context
• Reflection

7
Findings

• an academic exercise
• people interested in theory
• want to learn more about theories with which
  already familiar and consider new theoretical
  approaches.
• to better understand processes within IPE.
• want to be involved in developing, prioritising
  and moving theory forward.
• a practical exercise
• must have utility, not theory for theorys sake.
• theory important to improve educational and
  professional practice, but not being used
  sufficiently to underpin educational
  practices/curriculum development. Enthusiasm for
  theory limited to interested few.
• Theory as a political tool
• use theory to defend/effect changes to these
  practices in the face of entrenched views and/or
  resistance to change.
• Issues
• how can theory be applied to help professional
  practice, educational practice (e.g. developing
  curricula or research).
• Theoretical developments overly focused on
  academic arena at expense of practice arena.

8
Focus

• A LOT BUT BAD
• overwhelmed with the number of theories imported
  into the field
• need to focus on key theories. Plethora confuse
  practitioners especially if seen as potentially
  conflicting.
• A LOT BUT GOOD
• plethora as positive, a potential toolbox or
  eclectic from which to choose theoretical tools
  relevant in different contexts.
• NOT ALOT
• Other participants did not recognize
  overabundance of available theory and felt that
  they continually used the same theories in their
  IPE work and needed to broaden their horizons and
  consider others.

9
Way ahead

• Review and clarify what is already known about
  theory in IPE
• Identify where research/theory gaps currently
  exist.
• Clear research objectives/programmes
• Test the application of key theoretical
  perspectives.
• Developing a community able to work together and
  share their experiences of developing theory and
  its application
• The nature of people open mindedness,
  interdisciplinary, the ability to embrace
  complexity
• Dissemination of these theoretical developments
  from grass roots, i.e. teachers in local
  universities, to international audiences.
• Development of IPE theory by a few academics in
  isolation from educationalists and HSC
  professionals unhelpful. Practitioners and
  educationalists to move forward in parallel to
  develop mutual understanding of the nature and
  usefulness of IPE theory.

10
After

• Not yet possible to identify any key theory that
  took precedence over others.
• Prioritisation of particular theories may not be
  a realistic aim because
• One theory does not fit all contexts (no magic
  bullet).
• Different respondents preferred different
  theories, based on own interest and familiarity.
• Some express a clear preferences
• others found this difficult, finding all theory
  presented interesting. Enjoyed opportunity to
  learn more about a diversity of theories
  available to add to theoretical toolboxes and
  found the overviews of current theories useful.

• Theories in which the social context of
  learning and working is
• recognised are key. E.g., activity theory and
  socio-cultural learning
• took precedence over other learning theories. It
  is this nature of this component that
  differentiates interprofessional from
  uniprofessional learning.

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Reflections

• ESRC Funding raises profile of IPE in UK as a
  field in which rigorous research is required/is
  taking place
• Theories not mutually exclusive Overlap between
  the sociological, educational and psycho-social
  perspectives.
• Not all theories introduced into IPE would or
  could have been covered in seminar. Limited
  resources means we need to direct these towards
  priority areas, their synthesis, comparison and
  application (see power, team working skills
  earlier on in conference).
• There was also a need to connect theory more
  strongly with policy and political perspectives
  in future seminars (frame in policy maker speak
  John Gilbert).
• How can theory and future seminars could engage
  with these conservative and transformative
  agendas (see Squaring the circle Hugh Barr).

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Future seminars

• Remaining seminars will focusing resources on a
  few key theories and aiming to explore the value,
  usefulness and practical application of these
  theories in greater detail.
• Need to go beyond the single sentence our work
  is underpinned by theory x with no in depth
  description how.
• Evidence at conference that some people have very
  successfully applied and tested, e,g, Paul
  Batalden microsystems Esther Suter, human
  systems theory underpinning methods of evaluation

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Seminar Title Date Location
Seminar 2Prioritised theories from sociology and dynamic/social psychology (contact hypothesis team dynamics) John Carpenter, Ann Scott 27 June 2008 Newcastle University, UK
Seminar 3Prioritised theories from education (stage theory in interprofessional development activity theory, CoP and socio cultural learning) Philip Clark, Yrjo Engestrom 5 Dec 2008 University of West of England, UK
SymposiumEvolving theory in interprofessional education ? synthesis inductive approaches 26 June 2009 Bournemouth, UK
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Theoretical network your participation

• Which ever direction theoretical development
  takes in the future, clear that sustaining the
  community of academics and practitioners brought
  together in the seminar series is essential.
• We invite international and national colleagues
  to participate in future seminars of the ESRC
  series, and events that lead from this, to
  develop IPE theory that is both rigorous and
  useful to practice.