Research Group of Research Competence

Which shape does research competence take within various contexts and roles, and how does it relate to other competences that are particularly important in complex situations? This theme centres on doing justice to the wide range of contexts within which professionals need to adopt an exploratory approach.

Which requirements and quality criteria should be satisfied by your exploratory work process? This theme examines just how thorough you should be when conducting research within a professional context. A critical professional with properly developed research competence is able to assess which degree of thoroughness they should pursue in a given situation.

Which research results are desired, and for whom? To be of tangible value to its users, when should a specific research product be delivered, by whom and in which form? Research performed in the context of professional practice or practice-based research doesn’t automatically lead to greater professionalism or a concrete solution for a real-life issue. In this theme, we focus on which elements are required in this context.

Contributors to practice-based research all tend to have their own ideas and interests. So how do you get everyone on the same page? For example, practice-based research is often based on collaboration between educational institutions, knowledge institutes, research institutes and/or professionals working in the field. Within this theme, the research group examines how to get different people on board and how to foster mutual understanding.

How to best shape a change in the way professionals think and act – to ensure that they adopt the mind-set of a true researcher? Sometimes, the development of an exploratory work process requires a transformation in the professional involved. And similarly, degree programmes that wish to incorporate research competence in their curriculum often have to start thinking in a different way about research itself. In this theme, we examine how you can effectively facilitate these kinds of changes.