Background: Transformational practice development research is a critical inquiry process that enhances practice as well as research. It takes an action approach to research and a research approach to practice. Such practice is relational, discursive and embodied. Bringing about change in practice occurs simultaneously with generating new insights and knowledge in research. Transformational practice development research uses participatory communicative spaces for learning and knowledge creation through cognitive and artistic critique.

Aims and objective: In this critical-creative dialogue we explore how we do transformational practice development research through creating communicative spaces or conversations for change. Our objective is to identify common principles and philosophical differences in our approaches.

Conclusions: Our dialogue identified eight common principles that we subscribe to in transformational practice development research. However, we also concluded that our strategies and principles are underpinned and shaped by different ontological and epistemological stances.

Implications for practice: Facilitators of transformational practice development research require skill and courage. They need to be skilled in guiding emancipatory, participatory processes, and courageous in being self-reflexive and critically mindful of research participants in order to enable authenticity, social justice and well being for all to flourish. Beyond the intent of emancipation and participation there are diverse traditions in critical social sciences. Engaging in critical-creative dialogues will progress the development and understanding of critical perspectives in practice development for future practices.

This paper includes a commentary by David Nicholls and a response by the authors.

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This article by Franziska Trede, Angie Titchen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License.