TY - GEN
T1 - The theory-practice gap as generative metaphor
AU - Beck, Jordan
AU - Ekbia, Hamid R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/4/20
Y1 - 2018/4/20
N2 - The theory-practice gap is a well-known concept in HCI research. It provides a way of describing a space that allegedly exists between the theory and practice of the field, and it has inspired many researchers to propose ways to "bridge the gap." In this paper, we propose a novel interpretation of the gap as a generative metaphor that frames problems and guides researchers towards possible solutions. We examine how the metaphor has emerged in HCI discourse, and what its limitations might be. Our examination raises concerns about treating the gap as given or obvious, which could reflect researchers' tendencies to adopt a problem-solving perspective. We discuss the value of considering problem setting in relation to the theory-practice gap, and then explore Derrida's strategy of "reversal" as a possible way to develop new metaphors to capture the relationship between theory and practice.
AB - The theory-practice gap is a well-known concept in HCI research. It provides a way of describing a space that allegedly exists between the theory and practice of the field, and it has inspired many researchers to propose ways to "bridge the gap." In this paper, we propose a novel interpretation of the gap as a generative metaphor that frames problems and guides researchers towards possible solutions. We examine how the metaphor has emerged in HCI discourse, and what its limitations might be. Our examination raises concerns about treating the gap as given or obvious, which could reflect researchers' tendencies to adopt a problem-solving perspective. We discuss the value of considering problem setting in relation to the theory-practice gap, and then explore Derrida's strategy of "reversal" as a possible way to develop new metaphors to capture the relationship between theory and practice.
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U2 - 10.1145/3173574.3174194
DO - 10.1145/3173574.3174194
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85046947861
T3 - Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings
BT - CHI 2018 - Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PB - Association for Computing Machinery
T2 - 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2018
Y2 - 21 April 2018 through 26 April 2018
ER -