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Abstract

This paper stems from attempts to investigate practice from the position of a novice researcher, but experienced professional. The approach which developed stemmed from a genuine desire to deal with a real life ‘messy’ situation – a simple curiosity about current work and a wish to study it. There was no specific research question initially and a ‘method’ evolved only gradually as the author researched his researching. Systematic recording of his activities and reflections in a research diary enabled him to recognise an emerging form which he then felt able to communicate. He offers, as a metaphor for this inquiry, the banyan tree.