Practice-oriented Research Research Articles

When Significant Others Suffer: German Validation of the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS)

There is a need of an economical, reliable, and valid instrument in the German-speaking countries to measure the burden of relatives who care for mentally ill persons. We translated the Burden Assessment Scale (BAS) and conducted a study investigating factor structure, psychometric quality and predictive validity. We used confirmative factor analyses (CFA, maximum-likelihood method) to examine the dimensionality of the German BAS in a sample of 215 relatives (72% women; M = 32 years, SD = 14, range: 18 to 77; 39% employed) of mentally ill persons (50% (ex-)partner or (best) friend; M = 32 years, SD = 13, range 8 to 64; main complaints were depression and/or anxiety). Cronbach’s α determined the internal consistency. We examined predictive validity using regression analyses including the BAS and validated scales of social systems functioning (Experience In Social Systems Questionnaire, EXIS.pers, EXIS.org) and psychopathology (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI). Variables that might have influenced the dependent variables (e.g. age, gender, education, employment and civil status) were controlled by their introduction in the first step, and the BAS in the second step of the regression analyses. A model with four correlated factors (Disrupted Activities, Personal Distress, Time Perspective, Guilt) showed the best fit. With respect to the number of items included, the internal consistency was very good. The modified German BAS predicted relatives’ social systems functioning and psychopathology. The economical design makes the 19-item BAS promising for practice-oriented research, and for studies under time constraints. Strength, limitations and future directions are discussed.

Practice-oriented research in service of designing interventions

The strength of the practice-oriented research strategy is to develop knowledge about the improvement of practices. Practice oriented research is research in which the research goal is coming from the professional practice and in which the knowledge created in the research contributes directly to this professional practice. The problem does not originate in theory, and the knowledge created in the research is not valued because it contributes to theory. It is not knowledge-for-its-own-sake, but the knowledge is valued because it contributes to the improvement of the practice which is considered (by ministers and lay people) to be a problem. Practice-orientated research is especially relevant to congregational studies because the congregational ministry is conducted within a specific context that is challenging it to be relevant. The major steps or questions in developing a research design of practice oriented research is: what is the problem you are going to study? Why is it interesting to get this new knowledge and for whom is it interesting? How are you going to reach your research objective? How much do you want to know? And what are the conceptual instruments which you are going to use in your research? In following these steps the specific research orientation of practice oriented research is introduced.

Advanced material planning performance: a contextual examination and research agenda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the inventory performance effect of advanced material planning modes and analyse how internal and external contextual difficulties moderate this relationship. This study also identifies avenues for future research. Design/methodology/approach The empirical analysis uses a survey of material planning for purchased items in 292 Swedish manufacturing and wholesaling companies. Three dimensions of inventory performance are dependent variables: material planning performance, inventory turnover rate, and service level. Findings Advanced material planning modes are directly associated with material planning performance, but this study could not verify direct associations with inventory turnover rate and service-level performances. External and internal contextual difficulties have direct effects on all inventory performance dimensions and moderate the inventory performance effect of advanced material planning modes. The moderating effect is stronger in non-difficult contexts, for which advanced material planning has significant inventory performance effects. Demand- and human-related contextual dimensions are especially critical. Practical implications The study identifies the following guidelines for companies to consider in order to unlock the potential of advanced material planning: consider full implementation of advanced material planning in non-difficult contexts; minimise the plan variability effects of high parameter revision and planning frequencies; minimise the need for, and use of, manual modification of planned orders before release; reduce demand uncertainty and variability; and secure appropriate human skills and working time. Originality/value This study somewhat contradicts the literature on material planning by not finding a direct positive effect on any inventory performance dimension from analytical design of order quantities and safety stocks. The research adds to the literature by identifying direct and moderating effects of external and internal contextual difficulties on all three-inventory performance dimensions. The relative importance of managing automatic order release identified in the study motivates future research as the effect has not been previously highlighted in the literature. Accordingly, avenues for future research and an agenda for practice-oriented research are suggested.

Een zoektocht naar de identiteit van het sociaalwerkonderzoek: een reflectie over de kenmerken van een academische discipline

Een zoektocht naar de identiteit van het sociaalwerkonderzoek: een reflectie over de kenmerken van een academische discipline

Identifying interesting project phenomena using philosophical and methodological triangulation

The scarcity of accepted research designs within each research philosophy paradigm limits the variance of research approaches, which reduces the chances to identify real new phenomena. We propose that researchers use triangulation of alternative research philosophies to identify interesting new phenomena, provide alternative perspectives to complex problems, and gain a richer and more holistic understanding of complex project management problems. Philosophical triangulation extends methodological triangulation into the realm of ontology and epistemology and provides for more comprehensive understanding, as it resembles a more realistic view towards social science phenomena, which, by their nature, appear differently to people, and thus are seen from different ontological perspectives simultaneously. Three related studies are used to exemplify the approach, where the results of two sets of empirical data (qualitative and quantitative) are discussed in different philosophical contexts. Implications for scholars include more practice-oriented research perspectives in line with the projects-as-practice stream by extending existing benefits from methodological triangulation into philosophical triangulation in order to identify and understand complex phenomena.

‘This game is not easy to play’: a narrative inquiry into a novice EFL teacher educator’s research and publishing experiences

Drawing on the approach of narrative inquiry, this study looks into how a novice language teacher educator constructed and reconstructed his professional identities through his research and publishing practice in the higher education context in Hong Kong. The findings of the study show that the participant constantly tried to defend and develop his identity as a ‘language teacher educator-researcher’, which was subjected to various contextual obstacles including the institutional policy, the ‘publish-or-perish’ culture and the potential bias against practice-oriented research and peripheral research contexts. This study contributes to our understanding of the challenges and complexities involved in novice teacher educators’ identity construction. The study also offers some practical implications for both language teacher education and higher education on how to help teacher educators construct a solid and strong researcher identity to support their professional practice and development.

Outputs of EU 7th Framework Programme Research on Security at Major Events Focused on Private Security Services

Purpose - The study aims to look at the best practices and research outputs of private security services in the field of protection of persons and property at major events. This study presents some outputs of research projects EU SEC II - VÝSK. 173, GODIAC - VÝSK. 171 and THE HOUSE - VÝSK. 172. Design/Methods/Approach – To gain the outputs of the three conducted projects, the actual police and security reality was tested while applying practice-oriented research methods, such as planning, modelling and its testing on practical events, direct and indirect observation, explorative methods, in particular a questionnaire and recording techniques, and their evaluation with the use of statistical methods to determine the homogeneity and reliability of the results of qualitative investigation. Findings - The research projects carried out in terms of FP7 present the results which in this direction bring many consequences for cooperation between states, municipal and private security services and its tasks. Research limitations/Implications (if applicable) – The existing legislation in countries of Europe offers several alternative solutions to the issues by using the private security service. Each of the solutions has its limitation arising mainly from the local legislation and national organisation of security services. Practical implications (if applicable) - The study has outcomes and implications for police practice and management in securing major events. Visible applications and consequences have been identified for security planning and controlling, published especially in parts 4 and 5 of this study. Originality/Value - This study is an original debut and the first presentation of the conducted 7th FP research in the section on private security. The study is intended for theoreticians in police sciences, as well as security and police practitioners, in particular police management, security measures planners and management of private security agencies.

CRITERIA AND DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR MONITORING QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ TRAINING FOR PRACTICE-ORIENTED RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The purpose of the present publication is to disclose the contents of the monitoring initial stage including theoretical understanding of observed object, comprehension of its essence, definition of assessment criteria, the choice of diagnostic means and sources of information. Methods . The problem analysis of scientific prerequisites for pedagogical interpretation of education quality phenomenon, comparison and assessment of various approaches in definition of its essence are carried out from the system approach; the author’s understanding of quality of future teachers training to research activity and criteria of its assessment is proved. The studying and analysis of official documents, educational programs and scientific publications, systematization, substantial generalization, structuring, differentiation and expert assessment are used while the problem solution of main research actions for scientific and pedagogical search selection, which are essential result of high school training. Results . Criteria and estimated complex of quality of learners training to research activity, developed according to requirements of the monitoring assessment, reflecting its intrinsic properties (quality of educational process, quality of its conditions, quality of the received results) and their specific indicators are proposed. Stage-by-stage procedure of research actions selection is developed. Diagnostic means and sources of information are defined. Scientific novelty . Definition of the concepts «education quality», in terms of its understanding as a set of intrinsic aspect characteristics and the quality principle of process and its conditions quality reflection (A. I. Subetto), and the «practice-oriented research activity» defined as a set of the research actions reflecting its subject contents which are carried out in the context of the scientific solution of actual professional and pedagogical tasks is given. The list of research actions for each of three levels of high school education – a bachelor degree, a magistracy and postgraduate study is defined. Practical significance . The proposed criteria and diagnostic tools can be used in work of higher education for monitor tracking the quality of learners training to research activity.

Proactive contracting

Proactive contracting is a practice-oriented research stream, and scholars focused on proactive contracting have suggested fundamental changes for corporate contracting. Researchers have proposed that companies should improve their contracting capabilities and corporate lawyers should serve business objectives instead of preparing for possible litigation. The research reported in this paper focuses on two key areas of proactive contracting: the purpose of the project contracts; and the role of lawyers contributing to project contracts. The research goal was to find out whether business managers and corporate lawyers recognize a need for evolution in project contracting as suggested by the proactive contracting literature. The research data were collected using a survey of commercial contracting professionals, and the research results indicate that managers and lawyers share the same view – that contracts are made for business objectives and benefits. However, it was found that the perspectives of managers and lawyers differ with regard to the role of lawyers in preventing and resolving disputes.

"Strategizing, organizing and emerging strategy"

Process- and practice-oriented research has explored strategy making as a social accomplishment embedded in the organizational context. We present a structuration theory framework of strategy making that conceptualizes strategic agency as constrained and enabled by the wider organizational praxis. We suggest that strategy emerges in an ongoing dialectical process between strategizing, practices of strategy formulation and implementation, and organizing, practices actually coordinating the daily organizational praxis. Drawing on the framework in a qualitative case study, we elucidate the interplay between strategizing, organizing and emerging strategy in a corporate research organization. Further, we show how contingent organizing practices gain influence and become reproduced in the organizational praxis. Thereby, we identify scaling mechanisms through which strategizing can affect organizing and interaction patterns in organizing between organizational contexts.

Research on pedagogical entrepreneurship – a literature review based on studies from Finland, Iceland and Sweden

Strategies for entrepreneurship in the educational system are present not only in the Nordic countries, but also in the majority of other Western countries. Linked to these strategies different research efforts have been made. Although the research efforts have a common origin in supranational policies on entrepreneurship, there has been little research analysing the similarities and differences in how the topic is addressed by researchers in different countries. Being able to relate to both the policy and the available research in a nuanced way is important especially in the context of teacher education. The purpose of this article is to review the most recent research in pedagogical entrepreneurship from three countries: Finland, Iceland and Sweden. The aim is to discover whether the common phenomena of entrepreneurship in an educational context are approached differently in these three countries. The review of 21 articles in all, covering aim, method, concepts, references and results, draws a rather fragmented picture of the research. The main results are that the reviewed research was mostly qualitative and covered the entire spectrum from theoretical research to practice-oriented research. A variety of concepts were used. The analysis of the use of references uncovered a need to be more aware of including research from neighbouring regions. The research field seems to be quite lively and is still developing. However, it would benefit from a better dialogue between researchers in order to strengthen the contribution of Nordic research on pedagogical entrepreneurship.

Vigilant care: An integrative reformulation regarding parental monitoring.

Parental monitoring was once considered to be the approved way for preventing risk behaviors by children and adolescents. In the last years, however, the concept has been the target of cogent criticism questioning the interpretation of findings which support the traditional view of monitoring. After reviewing the various criticisms and the resulting fragmentation of theory and practice, we propose the model of vigilant care as an integrative solution. Vigilant care is a flexible framework within which parents adjust their level of involvement to the warning signals they detect. By justifying moves to higher levels of vigilance with safety considerations and expressing their duty to do so in a decided but noncontrolling manner, parents legitimize their increased involvement both to the child and to themselves. The model offers a unified solution to the ongoing controversy and generates theoretical hypotheses as well as a practice-oriented research program.

Метод формулирования случая в практико-ориентированном исследовании

The article presents an example of practice-oriented research based on case analysis and case formulation method. The authors introduce their experience of using this method in the psychological work with child suffering from general speech disorder. Symptoms of ill-being were examined in combination with the biographical facts about the child, data obtained by observation and understanding of the peculiarities of the child’s inner world. The authors emphasize the necessity not only of studying the objective external circumstances of the situation of development, but also of working out the procedures of analysis of child’s personal experience, self-awareness and identifications which can manifest in the child’s behavior. The method appears to be perspective and to contribute to understanding of the origins of psychological difficulties and emotional and behavioral problems. This information could be valuable and even vital for formulating aims and developing the treatment strategy.

Leerproces voor planologisch wetenschappelijk onderzoek en de praktijk

Planning research is increasingly focused on bridging the gap between practice and academia. However, this requires much effort and is not as commonplace as it seems. To ensure success, innovative research approaches, practitioners and academics are required. The experiential learning cycle of Kolb and Fry (1974) offers a research framework for the authors to reflect on their practice-oriented research on Cost Benefit Analysis processes (CBA) and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) respectively. Both research projects are compared using the learning cycle. The cycle was completed in the CBA project but only partially resolved in the TOD project. Reflecting on their experiences with applying the learning cycle, the authors conclude on the possibilities and limitations of this application and offer insight into how the interaction between theory and practice can occur.

Design Rhetoric: Studying the Effects of Designed Objects

Many of the ways in which artifacts appear to or actually do affect us—as elegant, dynamic, comfortable, authentic—are based on the fact that they are designed objects. Design is an effect-oriented process that resorts to design rules linking formal aspects of designed artifacts to specific design effects. Design rhetoric tries to capture these links between design techniques and resulting effects. This article presents design-rhetorical methods of identifying design rules of intersubjective validity. The new approach, developed at Bern University of the Arts, combines rhetorical design analysis with practice-oriented design research, based on the creation and empirical testing of design variants in accordance with effect hypotheses.

Education Background, Continuous Education and Training, and Obedience on Code of Ethics to Improve Audit Quality (Case Study in Indonesia)

This study aims to understand whether education background, continuous education and training, and obedience on code of ethics have an effect of audit quality in Sragen District Inspectorate.This study is a descriptive practice-oriented research that does not need the development and testing of hypothesis. The primary data is acquired from the interview with seven participants, which consist of the auditors in Sragen District Inspectorate. The secondary data is acquired from various previous studies and laws in Indonesia.The result shows that education background, continuous education and training, and obedience on code of ethics have an effect on audit quality in Sragen District Inspectorate.

Real World Projects with Companies Supporting Competence Development in Higher Education

The department of business administration of Munster University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) in Germany has a long tradition in realising practice-oriented research projects in cooperation with industry. The objective of these cooperative projects is to offer students real-life experiences and to make the theoretical know-how of university lectures more tangible by using it in an actual business case setting. Students are given responsibility for project deliveries fitting the expectations of real companies in their real business. Through the projects students are encouraged to develop individual learning and problem solving competencies. In this paper, four good practice examples for university-industry cooperation integrated in the education of students in the field of marketing, specifically market analysis, will be presented. The project descriptions will highlight the different methodological approaches, focusing on their specific innovative features. The paper will evaluate the competencies students gain during their involvement in those kind of projects. To follow a valid scientific approach, the competence matrix of Erpenbeck & Heyse will be presented and used to highlight the specific competences gained by the students working on those projects.

Zur Evaluation von Wissensgenerierung und Wissenstransfer in der Akademie für Raumforschung und Landesplanung (ARL) – Leibniz-Forum für Raumwissenschaften

This paper examines the conditions for transdisciplinary knowledge creation and transfer of knowledge in general using the Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL) as an example. Based on a consideration of differences between practice-oriented and transdisciplinary research the paper discusses the role of science and practice and their relationship. It emphasises the need for a transdisciplinary dialogue including all relevant scientific disciplines and stakeholders for addressing major societal challenges. When scrutinizing the current evaluation practice of the Leibniz Association it can be shown that the tracing of impacts generated in discursive and applied research processes is a challenging task. Subsequently we discuss how the ARL—with its inherent tension between different scientific disciplines and the application-oriented planning practice—and other “non typical scientific institutes” can be evaluated. Based upon this, recommendations are given for further development of mechanisms to evaluate scientific institutions, in particular with regard to knowledge transfer and transdisciplinary research.

The evidence base of primary research in public health emergency preparedness: a scoping review and stakeholder consultation.

BackgroundEffective public health emergency preparedness and response systems are important in mitigating the impact of all-hazards emergencies on population health. The evidence base for public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) is weak, however, and previous reviews have noted a substantial proportion of anecdotal event reports. To investigate the body of research excluding the anecdotal reports and better understand primary and analytical research for PHEP, a scoping review was conducted with two objectives: first, to develop a thematic map focused on primary research; and second, to use this map to inform and guide an understanding of knowledge gaps relevant to research and practice in PHEP.MethodsA scoping review was conducted based on established methodology. Multiple databases of indexed and grey literature were searched based on concepts of public health, emergency, emergency management/preparedness and evaluation/evidence. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied iteratively. Primary research studies that were evidence-based or evaluative in nature were included in the final group of selected studies. Thematic analysis was conducted for this group. Stakeholder consultation was undertaken for the purpose of validating themes and identifying knowledge gaps. To accomplish this, a purposive sample of researchers and practicing professionals in PHEP or closely related fields was asked to complete an online survey and participate in an in-person meeting. Final themes and knowledge gaps were synthesized after stakeholder consultation.ResultsDatabase searching yielded 3015 citations and article selection resulted in a final group of 58 articles. A list of ten themes from this group of articles was disseminated to stakeholders with the survey questions. Survey findings resulted in four cross-cutting themes and twelve stand-alone themes. Several key knowledge gaps were identified in the following themes: attitudes and beliefs; collaboration and system integration; communication; quality improvement and performance standards; and resilience. Resilience emerged as both a gap and a cross-cutting theme. Additional cross-cutting themes included equity, gender considerations, and high risk or at-risk populations.ConclusionsIn this scoping review of the literature enhanced by stakeholder consultation, key themes and knowledge gaps in the PHEP evidence base were identified which can be used to inform future practice-oriented research in PHEP.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1750-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Research on psychotherapy integration: Building on the past, looking to the future

Integration has become an important and influential movement within psychotherapy practice, reflected by the fact that many treatment providers now identify as integrative. However, integration has not had as great an influence on psychotherapy research. The goal of this paper is to highlight the growing body of research on psychotherapy integration, and to identify future directions for research that may strengthen the integration movement as well as the field of psychotherapy as a whole. We first summarize the past 25 years of research on integration, with a focus on four approaches to integration: theoretical integration, technical eclectic, common factors, and assimilative integration. Next, we identify directions of research within these four areas that could strengthen and support integrative practice. We then propose ways in which the perspective of integrationists could contribute to psychotherapy research in the critical areas of harmful effects, therapist effects, practice-oriented research, and training. We end this paper by suggesting that a greater collaboration between integrationists and psychotherapy researchers will help to create a unified landscape of knowledge and action that will benefit all participants and advance the field.