Practice-Based PhD Methods /
Practical Musicology – including aesthetics and value judgments in the research process
The methodology and methods of practice research are still in a state of what theorists of the Social Construction of Technology call Interpretative Flexibility: that early phase when the goals and proposed ends of the project are still being contested and negotiated. Several key areas need to be explored:
Further to this, there are also questions about how we should best survey and represent the research (and practice) context of our work? How do the methods of ‘data’ collection impact the type and quality of the information acquired and how much does it interfere with the practice? How can or should we structure an experimental process of development? How and when should we be analysing the practice? How best can we incorporate the development of aesthetics and value judgments about the results of the practice into the research process? Can we, and, if so, how can we, use multiple practice research case studies to create clusters of interpretation and shareable knowledge about how practice works?
Research Problem
Rationale / Hypothesis
Method
Results / Sources
Analysis
Interpretation
Applications / Implications
Peer Review