Promoting and measuring the impact of care-full scholarship

As has been touched upon on the page above, much is known about the potential negative effects of participating in scientific research and correspondingly the ethical steps that need to be adhered to in order to prevent any adverse effects. In contrast, little attention is commonly given to the positive impacts of research participation.

More overtly co-creative techniques, such as photo-voice (see e.g. Leung 2022; Axinte 2022) and guerrilla narrative (see Ruiz Cayuela & Armiero 2022) for example, as illustrated in Lesson 4 of this Unit, can also be understood as having the potential for much more dispersed and distributed forms of meaning-making. As spaces for care-full reflection (Moriggi et al., 2020), they can enable insight into practice that in turn allows the participants – researchers and researched alike – to envision how to further enhance or otherwise change their approach and activity at a wider scale or in alternative settings. At the same time, as sites of embodied meaning making, more needs to be understood about how the visceral and material experiences of research participation themselves support deeper reflection, insight and self-awareness during, but also beyond, individual research encounters.

Sometimes evidence of impact becomes immediately apparent within research and teaching practice, whilst on other occasions its emergence is much slower and far less linear. Relevant here is the connection drawn by Tanggaard (2012; see also Vygotsky, 2004) between continuity and renewal: “ways of doing’ already in the world are taken as starting points for new creations” (p.20). As she points out, bringing about change in practice is not necessarily always a pre-mediated or even conscious act. Rather, realisation and critical reflection around the fact that an action has brought about a change in conditions can often follow behind. On occasion, for example, it is only by momentarily stepping out of the daily routine to participate in, for instance, a qualitative research interview, that an individual is able to dwell on what they have been ‘doing’ and acknowledge for themselves what has (or has not) thus far been achieved.

'We are continually creating causes in the work that we do. And those causes are like sowing seeds. And sometimes those seeds will immediately sprout and bear fruit and we will see the effects. And sometimes those seeds will sit there latently in the environment and will require time to pass for the right contexts to emerge in which they can sprout and bear fruit.' Imogen Humphris

Below Imogen talks about potential latent and manifest effects in care-full impact, some of which we may only be able to see at a much later stage in time.

In this next guest contribution Moya and Geraldine reflect on the meaning and impact of their work.

'We all want to feel part of something and that what we do is worthwhile doing.' Geraldine Brown

'Making a difference is really important. It's something that has become more important to me as I've gone through my career.' Moya Kneafsey

'I think that we're always making a difference and the challenge is to make the difference that we hope for.' Lucy Aphramor

Below Lucy reflects on impact and response-ability.

QUESTIONS:

• How hopeful are you of your work making a difference?
  • on what level?
• As you reflect back on your work, can you think of causes that may be lying 'latent', waiting for the right context to emerge and bear fruit?