Education in the Pilates industry is primarily vocational rather than research focused at present. Our Elders learnt from Joseph Pilates in an informal ‘apprentice’ style and many of their pupils that became teachers learnt in a similar way. New students currently gain certificates and diplomas through Vocational Education Training (VET) centres. However, as Pilates continues to become a more widely appreciated and respected industry and method of training, there is increasing interest toward undertaking specific research into what it is that we do. This move towards seeking scientific credibility will continue, especially as there are now approved university degrees incorporating the Pilates Method as the basis for the degree.
Research is a word that is really gaining traction and credibility in our industry and even though it may at first sound scary, daunting or intimidating, it is a necessity for any profession that desires recognition. Many members of the PAA are already undertaking research projects and it is our hope that this research work will spread further. In the next few issues we will provide an insight and understanding into the world of research for the benefit our membership.
Research can take two forms. Informal and formal. The number one consideration with both informal and formal research is critical thinking; the need to look at a previous research finding or conclusion and its validity both scientifically and practically for our work. It is important to remember that critically reviewing findings and conclusions does not mean being critical and negative about someone else’s work but rather indicates the need to critique effectively.
<strong>Informal Research
Informal research is often undertaken for self-development whereby you are increasing your knowledge in an informal setting; or may be used as a process for quick feedback or a general sense of how people respond to an idea, action or product. This may be reading isolated articles, answering a question you may have, or it may be a client based problem you are trying to solve and working daily with your clients where you come to figure out your ‘truths’, but will include a degree of ‘assumption’ and ‘subjectivity’. For example, over time you have worked with many people with neck pain who you have observed can’t do abdominal work without their hands behind their head, so that is how you train them. You may have read or heard somewhere why such a client should do ab work in this way and although it hasn’t been ‘scientifically proven’ you can surmise why it works.
Formal Research
Formal research is controlled, objective, and systematic gathering of data, usually academic in nature (generally done in conjunction with a university or other tertiary institution), and the result is a research project or other formal outcome. A research project is usually made up of a theory and practical component. The theory component might commonly be termed a literature review but may also take other forms of theoretical investigation.
A literature review is a paper that contains comprehensive recent information on a chosen topic, outlining what information is currently available, as well as the differing conclusions, arguments and findings that have been formed by previous research. The review will outline possible criticisms or limitations of the design or methods of various studies.
A literature review on the benefits of Pilates for Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) may discover that the research studies generally conclude there is no benefit. As knowledgeable teachers of Pilates, a conclusion such as this may be inconsistent with what we see in our practices, so we would look critically at the design of the other projects (what method was utilised? what exercises were included? the frequency and duration of the training program etc. In reviewing the project methods and details, we are able to apply our expertise to see how the design of the research conducted may have biased the outcome against demonstrating the benefits of Pilates for CLBP.
For example, particular study may have stated that Pilates doesn’t help CLBP, but in reviewing the method (how this was ‘tested’), you discover that participants have been doing The Hundred, three times a week. As a teacher of Pilates, you know that a session never consists of only doing The Hundred and nothing else, so you would discuss the limitations of this in your review. On the flip side, while the study had The Hundred as the only exercise used, project participants (also known as the trial group or cohort) had been required to perform the exercise 3 times a week. Joseph Pilates talks about a body transformation if doing his exercises three times a week, so it can be seen where that part of the project design may have come from although if not implemented fully (i.e. The Hundred as the only exercise) it may limit results.
The criticisms and arguments highlighted will form the conclusion for your literature review. In your conclusion there will be questions or suggestions for future research, and one of them will be what you are going to investigate and how you are going to do it! The theory component of research forms the basis of the practical component.
Next time we’ll start to delve into the practical component of research, what is a journal and peer review?
Felicia Darbyshire Pirie
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