Values-led Practice
Values-led practice refers to making decisions, taking actions, and shaping behavior and professional practice in a way that is guided primarily by a set of core values rather than just rules, procedures, or external pressures.
Living Educational Theory Research (LETR) is a form of practitioner-led inquiry where individuals ask:
“How do I improve what I am doing in ways that express my values?”
Unlike traditional research that often focuses on abstract theories, Living Educational Theory Research begins with lived experience. Educators, leaders, and practitioners explore their own practice, generate evidence of learning, and create knowledge grounded in the values that matter most to them.
Why Values Matter
Values are at the heart of professional practice. They guide decision-making, shape relationships, and sustain commitment in complex and changing contexts. Yet values can remain invisible or unexamined in day-to-day work. Living Educational Theory Research brings them into focus by:
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Making values explicit and visible in practice
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Providing a framework for testing whether actions align with values.
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Offering methods for reflective accountability, not only 'what works' but also 'what matters'
- Enabling practitioners to use there their clarified values as explanatory principles to explain why they do what they do, and as standards to judge improvemnt in practice
How LET Research Supports Values-Led Practice:
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Grounded in Personal Integrity – Practitioners continually reflect on whether their actions match their values
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Contextually Responsive – Living Educational Theory Research adapts to real-life settings rather than imposing external standards
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Empowering – Individuals generate their own living-educational-theory of practice rather than relying only on outside expertise
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Transformative – By aligning practice with values, individuals and organisations create cultures of trust, respect, and responsibility
The Impact:
When practitioners use LET research to guide their professional learning, they:
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Strengthen authenticity in their relationships
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Create evidence-based narratives of values-led improvement
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Contribute to communities of practice that prioritise ethical, human-centered action
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Inspire systemic change rooted in compassion, justice, and equity
Bringing It to Your Practice:
Living Educational Theory Research invites you to become a knowledge creator rather than just a knowledge user. By making your values visible and showing how they shape your actions, you build credibility, deepen your impact, and help others see the importance of values-led professional practice
