On the problem of theorising: an insider account of research practice

This article addresses the problem of how we theorise in writing about higher education through a reconstruction and interrogation of my previous work. I argue that theorising is messy, incomplete and a non-reductive process. Using C. Wright-Mills' notion of craft and Val Hey's insights into theorists who come to haunt us, I retrace the steps involved in an investigation of personal development planning. This research led to a broader consideration of the nature of disciplines and the importance of temporality in higher education. These moves involved a re-conceptualisation of the problem under investigation, a new phase of empirical research and a change of subject. I suggest that more such accounts could yield insight into the nature of our craft and the process of theorising.