What is the interplay between your life and your worldview in relation to the idea of participation?

Joan Walton

Against my name on the list of attendees at the Drynachan seminar, I have been identified as an educator and a social worker. If I am to have labels attached to me, I should like to add a third - that of researcher. I perceive the learning I have gained through my experiences in social work, education and research as being complementary and mutually informing.

Although I am a professionally qualified social worker, I have not practised as such for many years. What struck me throughout my time in that role is how limited and inadequate was the knowledge base that informed social work practice. As a society, we just do not know enough about the reasons underpinning poverty, violence, crime and mental illness to be able to intervene appropriately in order to eradicate these problems.

My continued awareness of the need to combat such extensive ignorance of the roots of social problems made me realise the need for good and appropriate research. I could see little point in the quantitative research methodology that I had been taught during my training as a social scientist. I was looking at issues related to the quality of life, and this for me meant qualitative methods of inquiry. Specifically, I chose action research. This followed a cyclical process of reflection and action - relating theory to practice, then modifying the theory in the light of the practice.

As a consequence of what was, in fact, a rigorous approach, I developed a body of knowledge which may not have been approved of by the mainstream scientific community, but which improved both my professional practice, and those for whom I had supervisory responsibility. It was a natural step to move from there into education, where I found that my experience and learning had a relevance in many contexts where people were interacting with each other. Problems are not the property of the socially disadvantaged - they beset everyone in all settings, including major organisations which have a high profile and a positive social image. Poverty and violence have their ultimate roots in abuse of power; and abuse of power to a greater or lesser extent happens everywhere.

The more I have become involved with people, from Managing Directors to domestic staff, and in occupations as diverse as building roads and caring for sick patients, I have continued to be aware of our levels of shared ignorance about factors influencing the nature and quality of social, emotional and spiritual experiences. However, I have also realised that the more you engage with people as equal beings, and encourage them to acknowledge and value each other, the better the atmosphere that is created, and the more constructive is the work that is produced. Operating according to the principle of participation leads to harmonious and mutually appreciative groups of people; operating according to the principle of separation leads to conflict and dissension.

My continuing interest in research encourages me to find methodologies that will enable us to discover how to create a society in which all experience their lives as meaningful and rewarding. We do not yet have the collective knowledge and skills to do this. I am undertaking a PhD with the aim of exploring an appropriate research methodology that will help us gain the knowledge we require to discover and realise our own potential as human beings, whatever that might be. My experience to date, as a social worker, educator and researcher, suggests that this not only implies an emphasis on qualitative research, but more particularly on participatory and transpersonal action research.

I come to Drynachan with this as a thesis, and look forward to exploring it and related themes within a mutually supportive and participatory context.