Donald Schon posed a “dilemma of rigor or relevance” for research epistemology. In this eloquent quote, he calls for new research epistemology for the scholarship of teaching and learning based on reflection by teachers on actions taken in their practice.

Schon, D. “The New Scholarship Requires a New Epistemology,” Change, Nov./Dec. 1995 27 ( 6) p. 28

“On the high ground, manageable problems lend themselves to solution through the use of research-based theory and technique. In the swampy lowlands, problems are messy and confusing and incapable of technical solution. ...the problems of the high ground tend to be relatively unimportant to individuals or to the society at large, however great their technical interest may be, while in the swamp lie the greatest problems of human concern. ...Shall [the practitioner] remain on the high ground where he can solve relatively unimportant problems according to his standards of rigor, or shall he descend to the swamp of important problems where he cannot be rigorous in any way he knows how to describe?”
Donald Schon