Showcasing insider research

Abstract

What strikes me when reviewing and editing papers for The Clinical Teacher is the number of contributors conducting insider research. This is where a practitioner such as a clinician, a student, or a teacher carries out enquiry into their own practice.1, 2 In this journal the contributors are health professionals as well as clinical educators and students investigating their own area of work or study. It might come as a surprise to some readers that students are also practitioners in a workplace – they are engaging in the practice (work) of studying – and therefore can also benefit from researching this. By engaging in this type of enquiry, practitioners extend their knowledge of their professional or educational practice by revealing what otherwise may remain taken for granted by themselves and possibly unchallenged in their workplace activity. Insider research offers valuable opportunities to carry out projects, alone or with others, that can affect personal and professional development, having its origins and methodological basis in educational research and teacher development.3, 4 It's excellent that our authors are doing this type of research. Investigations are typically conducted in their workplaces, and insider research lends itself particularly well to the study of the often unpredictable messiness of our everyday working lives. My observation, however, is that the authors often appear not to know that they are insider researchers, nor acknowledge this as their approach. My view is that if they did, they would be better positioned to capture the detailed insights that the structured methodology of insider research can produce. The key characteristics of insider researcher are that: the data-gathering instrument is the researcher themselves; in addition to external and more generalised sources of knowledge in the literature, the researchers’ personal and tacit knowledge can be valued; qualitative methods tend to be preferred but quantitative methods may also be used; sampling is purposive as the researchers seek people who suit the purpose of the research; and theory is grounded in the data. Insider knowledge may really help with the design and reporting of the research, and in recognising themselves as insiders, some of the issues that arise as a result are more likely to be brought into focus for them to engage with and explore.5 Situated within the research setting, insider researchers have insight into the matter at hand and the people involved. They can make explicit the unspoken aspects of their interactions that may escape an outsider or take an outsider a long time to realise. Insider researchers need to recognise and be open minded about their ‘blind spots’ or prejudices, however, such as making too many assumptions or bringing the research to a conclusion prematurely because of a reliance on their assumed knowledge. This is achieved by being sufficiently critical of your own work and challenging any findings that simply confirm what is already known. Another common issue arises when researchers assume that there will be full access to a research setting because they are insiders. After all, they are not strangers, and so do not necessarily have to establish credibility with the research participants, who may be their peers, colleagues or students. However it is necessary to seek permission from the right people (i.e. ‘gatekeepers’), through the appropriate channels to their own work situation as an area being researched. For example, when interviewing medical students, permission must be obtained from the medical school and ethical review and approval is required. Insider researchers also need to share information about the nature of the research and how the data will be used, and to take anonymity and data handling into consideration. The research participants will then know what they are letting themselves in for and can give ‘informed’ consent to the research. An interesting area of tension for insiders may surface from the dual role of researcher and health care professional, educator or student. This is because their status in their organisation may affect the researcher role and, consequently, the research. For example, in an insider role they may be more senior than the research participants, or as students may feel disempowered, and possibly threatened into not being open and honest. As such they may need to be prepared to acknowledge and manage any implications of power and hierarchy. This type of research requires them to be sensitive to the influence that an insider position may have in terms of access to privileged information as well as issues of subordinate compliance and coercion. They may be interviewing health professional or educator colleagues when carrying out their enquiry. In doing so they need to recognise and be sensitive to issues that may arise: for example, where individuals may fear negative consequences if they share information. Educators researching their own