Conceptual and Ethical Dilemmas of Collaborative Research: reflections on a case study

Abstract

This article points to some of the conceptual and ethical problems associated with client‐centred models of in‐service education. It derives from the authors’ experiences of attempting to apply the model, originally based on the work of Chris Argyris & Donald Schon, in a collaborative research project based in an inner‐city, multi‐ethnic comprehensive school in ‘Milltown‘—an LEA in north‐west England. The article explores the rationale for collaborative research, discusses some of the problems and proposes ways in which the dilemmas encountered might be obviated in future initiatives.