This article explores the possibility that the participatory paradigm might be an appropriate
research paradigm for creative practitioners to produce practice-led research. In the context of
multi-practitioner arts-related practice-led research projects conducted in the Faculty of Arts at the
North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, it was determined that the critical theory paradigm
is the most commonly used paradigm. Despite the fact that these projects were conceptualised as
practice-led research projects very little practice-led research has been conducted. We contend that
this is because creative practitioners have adopted the critical theory paradigm without understanding
how the epistemological, ontological and methodological underpinning, negates the subjective
exploratory tacit knowledge dimension, that is central to practice-led research. Practice-led research
is regarded as a subjective exploratory journey by an individual or group of creative practitioners,
which results in a creative production (artefact). This research is intuitive, and the epistemological
gain lies in the contextualisation of the creative process and final artefact through reflection-in-action
and reflection-on-action. This involves a critical contextualisation of the systematically documented
process and its outcomes. In this context both the tacit and explicit dimensions of knowledge are
important to form a holistic knowledge context. The participatory paradigm is a worldview based
on a subjective-objective ontology which allows for a critical subjective epistemology that utilises
experiential, presentational, practical (tacit) and propositional (explicit) ways of knowing. In this
paradigm knowledge (as is the case with practice-led research) is viewed in holistic terms and it is
thus contended that this is a conducive paradigm for practice-led research.
Hierdie artikel ondersoek die moontlikheid dat die deelnemingsparadigma ‘n geskikte
navorsingsparadigma vir kreatiewe deelnemers kan wees om praktykgeleide navorsing te produseer.
In die konteks van multi-praktisyns en kunsverwante praktykgeleide navorsingsprojekte wat in
die Fakulteit Lettere en Wysbegeerte aan die NWU op die Potchefstroomkampus uitgevoer is, is
vasgestel dat die paradigma wat die meeste gebruik word, is die krities-teoretiese paradigma. Ten
spyte van die feit dat hierdie projekte gekonseptualiseer is as praktykgeleide navorsingsprojekte
het min praktykgeleide navorsing hieruit gevloei. Ons aanvaar dat dit gebeur het omdat kreatiewe
praktisyns die krities-teoretiese paradigma aangeneem het omdat hulle moontlik nie verstaan nie
hoe hierdie paradigma se epistemologiese, ontologiese en metodologiese onderbou die subjektiewe
en eksperimentele versweë kennisdimensie misken wat sentraal is in praktykgeleide navorsing.
Praktykgeleide navorsing word beskou as ‘n subjektiewe eksperimentele reis deur ‘n individu of
‘n groep kreatiewe praktisyns wat lei tot ‘n kreatiewe produk (artefak). Hierdie tipe navorsing is
intuïtief, en die epistemologiese wins lê in die kontekstualisering van die kreatiewe proses en die finale
artefak deur reflektering-tydens-aksie en reflektering-op-aksie. Dit hou ‘n kritiese kontekstualisering in van die sistematiese gedokumenteerde proses en sy uitkomste. In hierdie konteks is sowel die
versweë as eksplisiete kennisdimensies belangrik om ‘n holistiese kenniskonteks te skep. Die
deelnemingsparadigma is ‘n wêreldbeskouing gebaseer op ‘n subjektief-objektiewe ontologie wat
ruimte laat vir ‘n kritiese subjektiewe epistemologie wat sowel eksperimentele, praktiese (versweë) en
proposisionele (eksplisiete) kenniswyses insluit. In hierdie paradigma word kennis (soos in die geval
van praktykgeleide navorsing) in holistiese terme beskou en het ons daarom tot die gevolgtrekking
gekom dat dit ‘n gepaste paradigma is vir praktykgeleide navorsing.
