Praxis and phronesis as units of analysis: realising a social science that matters in practitioner inquiry.

The notions of praxis, or practical action, and phronesis, or practical wisdom, are engaged with from two perspectives in this paper – with examples from author’s classroom studies across various Grade schools in Sweden on one hand and the theoretical exposition of these notions across a selection of existing literature on the other. A persuasive case is made for having praxis and phronesis be regarded as units of analysis suitable for grasping as well as furthering practitioner inquiry. The results of such research, conducted as a practice, are aimed at informing the vicarious and the experiential, upon which any reader can in turn base actions. In their ability to examine the practical, particular and local, the pursuit of such a social science is argued as being one that matters to the practitioners themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]