IntSci Moderators: Topic 3 introduction
Linking hard- and soft-researchers in Integrated Science - the people side of things (Wed 8 Mar - Fri 10 Mar)
Topic 1 provided a chance for some introductions, and to provide a way for getting a common language and understanding around what we have called Integrated Science for the purpose of this discussion.
Topic 2 has focussed on practice and in particular the "learning" element". How do we and can we practice integrated science-type activities.
Topic 3 is a subset of the discussion so far and looks more specifically at how soft and hard researchers might work together in larger integrated science initiatives. As with the earlier topics we have also suggested some questions that you could use as a guide for structuring your thoughts. However, there are a number of good discussion threads going on that we would like to support.
We will first list our suggested questions for thinking about topic three, and then we will highlight some of the other key threads that are going on as a way of acknowledging and summarising the current discussion.
The following questions are suggested as a starting point for this third discussion. To make a posting to the discussion just send an e-mail to IntSci@learningforsustainability.net .
- Question 7 - What are the commonly understood challenges of linking hard and soft researchers?
- Question 8 - What are the novel experiences of trying to link hard and soft researchers?
- Question 9 - Where do the benefits and burdens lie in linking hard and soft researchers?
- Question 10 - How does the comparative lack of legitimacy of soft research methodologies (e.g., action research, appreciative inquiry, participatory evaluation) pose challenges for integrated research and what approaches have been used to legitimise them?)
We can also see that a number of topics have emerged that people are enjoying, and it would be good to keep running.
- Case studies of where integration is emerging. Wendy Gregory referred to the importance of this and noted that this was one of her research questions. She particularly asked for members to share stories where inter-disciplinary teams cut across organisational boundaries, those that incorporate community-based perspectives, and the features that characterise such new groupings.
- Tools for supporting group processes. There are a number of postings that have shared tools and links for tools, and it would be good to keep these coming. As we have said, we will document and make available to members a full listing of Internet resources and literature that is referred to in this conference. [ Most recently, Ashwani Vasishth, Valerie Brown]
- How to use the above tools to support reflection. A few people have alluded to this as being moving from thinking around the problems in the current system, to enccouraging double (or even triple) loop learning that gets a range of stakeholders to question their underlying assumptions [Richard Bawden, DWT, Phil Henshaw, Polly Ericksen].
- General queries. The forum is being used for a number of general queries, and we have also noted as a resource for students who are interested in aspects of this topic. This is a really good use of the list, and we note that people are being very supportive.
This is a good time to participate in the discussion. We are now halfway through. This is an important topic, and it is very clear that we have not solved it, we have only begun to address it. So more than ever it would be good to hear from more of you on the list. Even hearing about the different situations in which these topics are being considered would a be a really useful outcome from the conference.
We look forward to your participation. To make a posting to the discussion just send an e-mail to IntSci@learningforsustainability.net . If you have questions, concerns or suggestions about the operation of this list please feel free to contact us directly.
best regards
Chrys Horn, Will Allen & Margaret Kilvington IntSci Conference Managers E-mail: IntSci-owner@learningforsustainability.net
IntSci website http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/social/IntSci_info.asp