Research-practice Gap Research Articles

Culturally Responsive and Compassionate Eating Disorder Treatment: Serving Marginalized Communities with a Relational-Cultural and Self-Compassion Approach

ABSTRACT Marginalized populations have been historically underrepresented in eating disorder (ED) research. A more robust, culturally responsive framework is needed to bridge ED research and counseling practice gaps. Therefore, we propose an integrative approach using Relational Cultural Therapy and self-compassion principles to provide a strengths-based and socially just conceptualization of ED clients with marginalized identities. We conclude with a case illustration, implications for counselors, and future research directions.

Factors predicting current and future use of video-modelling in teaching students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): a Saudi Arabian perspective

Purpose Despite the effectiveness of using video-modelling to teach skills for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few studies have addressed video-modelling being adopted in the classrooms. This study measured special educators’ current use of video-modelling in teaching students with ASD in Saudi Arabia. It also investigated the factors predicting current and future use of video-modelling based on Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Materials and Methods A descriptive research design was used. A total of 271 special educators responded to a survey. A stepwise multiple regression and a logistic regression analysis were used to determine factors predicting current and future use of video-modelling. Results Results showed that special educators used video-modelling in teaching students with ASD at a low level (M = 2.59). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the combination of perceived relative advantage, perceived complexity, perceived trialability, and perceived observability predicted current use of video-modelling, whereas the logistic regression analysis revealed that perceived relative advantage and perceived trialability were only predictors of future use of video-modelling. Conclusions Results show that video-modelling is still used as an assistive technology slightly in teaching students with ASD, suggesting that educators may find it challenging to use video-modelling in classrooms. Results indicate that using video-modelling in teaching students with ASD can be influenced by a variety of factors related to the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. This is evidence that educational and rehabilitation stakeholders need to cooperate in addressing these factors to close the research-practice gap, and improve the adoption of video-modelling in classrooms.

Marrying Collective Wisdom: Researcher-practitioner Collaboration in Developing ELT Textbooks

Abstract The need for collaboration between researchers and practitioners to address the research-practice gap is a long-debated topic in applied linguistics. Little is known, however, about how researchers and practitioners can collaboratively develop teaching materials, as a potential venue to narrow the gap. This study explored how two groups of professionals in China worked together to develop textbook materials and achieved bi-directional knowledge flow. In addition, the textbooks were analyzed in light of how participants contributed to the co-authored product. Interviews with four researchers and three practitioners along with their written reflections revealed relatively equal and constructive collaborative relationships in which multi-directional knowledge flow, co-creation of new knowledge, and positive emotional interactions emerged. Though subtle, the collaboration was reflected on the nature of the developed textbooks. With a nuanced interpretation of the complexity of researcher-practitioner collaboration, we highlight the emotional dimension of collaboration and the need to pay attention to the person in the collaboration when examining a research-practice relationship.

Beyond the research–practice gap: Constructing epistemic relations in teacher education

Beyond the research–practice gap: Constructing epistemic relations in teacher education

Turning research evidence into teaching action: Teacher educators’ attitudes toward evidence-based teaching

Teacher educators are seen as potential brokers able to bridge the research-practice gap and accelerate the adoption of current evidence in teacher education. The present study focuses on the in-depth exploration of teacher educators’ attitudes toward evidence-based teaching practices and provides a deeper understanding of the challenges encountered when turning evidence into teaching action. Moreover, facilitating factors to foster the implementation of evidence-based teaching are explored. Twelve teacher educators working in various teacher education programs in Germany reflected on challenges and facilitators to evidence-based teaching implementation. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that although teacher educators show positive attitudes towards evidence-based teaching, they still feel challenged to translate research evidence into their teaching practice. Our research suggests that evidence-based teaching may not be successfully implemented if teacher educators lack appropriate preparation and support from higher education institutions.

Recommendations for the design of interprofessional education: Findings from a narrative scoping review

Introduction: Evidence-based teaching and learning strategies should underpin any educational activity. This is particularly important for interprofessional education (IPE) activities, where there is an expectation that healthcare professions are taught using best available evidence. There is a research–practice gap that this review aims to address by using the current evidence to develop recommendations regarding optimal design components to better inform faculty who design IPE. Methods: A five-stage scoping review was conducted. Methodological characteristics and IPE design components of primary and review studies were extracted. Three important components of design—participants (level and stage of progression, discipline type and number, group size and ratios), learning constructs (theories, frameworks, learning objectives) and learning approaches (exchange, observation, action, simulation and practice)—were reviewed to develop recommendations regarding effective design. Results: A total of 41 papers were eligible for inclusion, 24 primary and 17 review studies. The primary studies were predominantly descriptive case studies with 31 disciplines involved in IPE activities across the studies. There was inconsistent reporting of learning constructs utilised in design, and the most reported learning approach was exchange. There was significant variability in the aims and design of the 17 review studies, ranging from systematic reviews to realist reviews, with the number of included studies ranging from six to 104. Conclusions: There was a lack of detailed reporting regarding design components, which limits the evidence base to inform IPE design. Reported components from the primary studies were augmented by findings from the review studies and the wider literature, which enabled the development of recommendations to assist faculty in the design of IPE programs and activities.

Co-creation of new knowledge: Good fortune or good management?

BackgroundPotential solutions to bridging the research practice gap include collaborative frameworks and models. Yet there is little evidence demonstrating their application in practice. In addressing this knowledge gap, this in-depth case study explored how the co-creation of new knowledge framework and its four collaborative processes (co-ideation, co-design, co-implementation, and co-evaluation) are utilised to support people who had attempted suicide through an Australian psychoeducational program known as Eclipse.MethodsUsing a case study design and a thematic analysis methodology, multiple sources of qualitative data (collaborative group discussion, personal communications) were analysed inductively and deductively to examine the implementation of co-creation and explore the perspectives of researchers and stakeholders about co-creation and collaborative relationships.ResultsThree broad themes were identified: (1) understanding the language and practice of co-creation, (2) perception of trust formation, and (3) the value of co-creation opportunities. Ultimately, implementing co-creation with or between researchers, industry and people with lived experience requires trust, reciprocity, good fortune, and good management. While implementing co-creation, the co-creation framework was revised to include additional elements identified as missing from the initially proposed framework.ConclusionCo-creation of new knowledge poses many challenges to researchers and stakeholders, particularly regarding its “messiness” and non-linear approach to implementation and evaluation. However, as this case study demonstrates, it has the potential to become an alternative framework of best practice for public health interventions in third sector organisations, most notably as it eliminates the often-lengthy gap reported between research evidence and translation into practice. The research highlights the need for co-creation to further study its effectiveness in integrating research and service delivery to generate new knowledge. This may lead to a cultural and behavioural change in the service provider’s approach to research, offering better outcomes for providers, clients, policymakers, universities, and funders.

An Inquiry into Bhutanese Agriculture Research–Practice Gaps Using Rogers Innovation Adoption Attributes and Mode 2 Knowledge Production Features

Investigation into the relevance and utility of bridging gaps between knowledge and practice is necessary to justify such endeavors to public funding agencies. This study investigated the underlying causes of the research–practice gap in the Bhutanese context with the aim to realign the relevance of agricultural research and to enhance practice using Rogers innovation attributes on features of Mode 2 knowledge production features. Out of 233 articles published by three agricultural journal publishers, only 110 articles that met our criteria were included in this study. Principal component analysis (PCA) for 23 variables yielded five variables that contributed 90% of the total variation. The first two dimensions contained 39.34% of the total dataset inertia, which was significantly greater than the reference value (17.19%) obtained by simulating 959 data tables of equivalent size based on a normal distribution. Further, cluster analysis differentiated the observations into three distinct clusters that significantly differed in their variable descriptive values. The innovation attributes ‘complexity’ and ‘compatibility’ received the highest score, while ‘observability’ had the lowest score. Under innovation diffusion elements, ‘time’ and ‘social system’ aspects were the least considered, thus affecting the innovation adoption. The ‘context of application’ of innovation had the highest score (65%), whereas ‘diffusion’ of the knowledge under transdisciplinarity received the lowest score. Both the diversity of ‘discipline’ and ‘organization’ inclusion under heterogeneity received the lowest score. Informal communication and social dimension received the lowest score among the Mode 2 knowledge production variables. Bhutan followed conventional, linear, and unidirectional approaches to research and extension diffusion systems, by which research institutions innovate, and extension workers bring innovation to potential adopters. Bhutanese research policy and strategy must consider reframing relevant agriculture innovation systems to keep abreast of modern technology development.

Bridging the research-practice gap in supply chain risks induced by the COVID-19

PurposeThis study aims to explore the gap between research and practice on supply chain risks due to COVID-19 by exploring the changes in global emphasis on supply chain risk research.Design/methodology/approachThis work designed a research framework to compare the research of supply chain risks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic based on machining learning and text clustering and using the relevant publications of the web of science database.FindingsThe results show that scholars' attention to supply chain crisis has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, but there are differences among countries. The United Kingdom, India, Australia, the USA and Italy have greatly increased their emphasis on risk research, while the supply chain risk research growth rate in other countries, including China, has been lower than the global level. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, the research of business finance, telecommunications, agricultural economics policy, business and public environmental occupational health increased significantly during the pandemic. The hotspots of supply chain risk research have changed significantly during the pandemic, focusing on routing problem, organizational performance, food supply chain, dual-channel supply chain, resilient supplier selection, medical service and machine learning.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has limitations in using a single database.Social implicationsThis work compared the changes in global and various countries' supply chain risk research before and during the pandemic. On the one hand, it helps to judge the degree of response of scholars to the global supply chain risk brought about by COVID-19. On the other hand, it is beneficial for supply chain practitioners and policymakers to gain an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain risk, which might provide insights into not only addressing the supply chain risk but also the recovery of the supply chain.Originality/valueThe initial exploration of the changing extent of supply chain risk research in the context of COVID-19 provided in this paper is a unique and earlier attempt that extends the findings of the existing literature. Secondly, this research provides a feasible analysis strategy for supply chain risk research, which provides a direction and paradigm for exploring more effective supply chain research to meet the challenges of COVID-19.

From a network model to a model network: strategies for network development to narrow the LIS research–practice gap

PurposeThe purpose of the empirical study was to examine whether strategies shown to work well in one model of network development for library and information science (LIS) practitioners and researchers could be applied successfully in the development of a new network and contribute to the narrowing of the research–practice gap in LIS.Design/methodology/approachOverall, 32 members of a new professional network were surveyed by a questionnaire following the completion of a programme of four network events held between 2019 and 2021.FindingsThe analysis demonstrates the transferability of the existing model of network development to a new network and that it can be successfully adapted for online delivery of network events and activities.Practical implicationsThe criteria deployed for the evaluation of the new network could be used in other similar settings. Funding bodies can also use these findings as demonstration of the value of their investment in network grants.Originality/valueThis contribution on means of growing collaborative networks to narrow the LIS research–practice gap stands out in contrast with prior research that tends to focus the support of research productivity of academic librarians in North American universities for the purposes of career development. Here wider aspects of research engagement are considered of value for LIS practitioners from a range of sectors and institutions, beyond North America, for purposes that are broader than personal advancement.

Pursuing Big Issues in Covid-World Accounting Research

Reflecting on the third year of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this paper addresses critical issues in the accounting research agenda. Departing from the current vogue for structured and systematic literature reviews, it specifically targets a number of major accountability issues whose importance will be reinforced by the institutional, economic, political and social environment. Informed by a renewed call to address the accounting research-practice gap, the paper examines the increasing importance of public sector services and accountability, social and environmental accountability, digital transformation in accounting and reporting, and the accountability implications of transitioning to the hybrid office. Accordingly, this paper presents the case for accounting researchers turning their attention to the big issues that concern governments, communities and institutions rather than retreating into preoccupations with self-referential technical, conceptual and archival studies often characteristic of today’s accounting research literature.

Studying the Research-Practice Gap in Physical Therapies for Cerebral Palsy: Preliminary Outcomes Based on a Survey of Spanish Clinicians.

The purpose of this work is to study the gap between the research evidence and the clinical practice in the physical rehabilitation of people with cerebral palsy. A review process was performed to (1) identify physical therapies to improve postural control in children with cerebral palsy and (2) determine the scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of those therapies. A Likert-based survey addressing a total of 43 healthcare professionals involved in pediatric physical therapy departments in Spain was carried out. The discussion was mainly supported by studies of level I or II evidence (according to the Oxford scale). The search process yielded 50 studies reporting 16 therapies. A strong positive correlation between the most used treatments and elevated levels of satisfaction was found. Some well-known but not often used techniques, such as hippotherapy, were identified. The treatment with the highest degree of use and satisfaction-neurodevelopment therapy (Bobath)-and some emerging techniques, such as virtual reality, were also identified. The fact that there is a meaningful gap between clinical practice and the scientific evidence was confirmed. The identified gap brings a certain degree of controversy. While some classic and well-known therapies had poor levels of supporting evidence, other relatively new approaches showed promising results.

Can web-based implementation interventions improve physician early diagnosis of cerebral palsy? Protocol for a 3-arm parallel superiority randomised controlled trial and cost–consequence analysis comparing adaptive and non-adaptive virtual patient instructional designs with control to evaluate effectiveness on physician behaviour, diagnostic skills and patient outcomes

IntroductionCerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability. Accurate diagnosis before 6 months is possible using predictive tools and decision-making skills. Yet diagnosis is typically made at 12–24...

Sharing the same bed with different dreams: Topic modeling the research-practice gap in public relations 2011-2020

ABSTRACT Prior empirical efforts in uncovering the research-practice gap in public relations have often been restricted to perceptions and evaluations of people participating in the investigation. Moving beyond the linear perspective on knowledge transfer that dominates relevant discussions for decades, this study adopted topic modeling as an inductive analytical approach to examine a comprehensive set of texts representing the perspective of scholars and practitioners over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2020. A comparison of 35 topics discerned from academic journals (1,209 titles/abstracts) and professional texts (2,378 articles) revealed that a total of 18 topics were peculiar to each corpus, providing sound evidence of the substantial divide between scholars and practitioners. However, two communities shared common or comparable concerns over 17 topics, suggesting a significant convergence on crucial issues. Moreover, scholars and practitioners assigned varying weights to these topics in their publications, which indicated noteworthy differences in the primary areas of interest for both communities. In addition to deepening our understanding of the width and nuances of the research-practice gap in the field of public relations in a quantitative way, findings obtained from this study also signal the direction toward which scholars and practitioners should make progress to bridge the gap.

Characterizing the research-practice gap in children’s interactive storytelling systems

Storytelling support has been and continues to be a recurring theme in child–computer interaction research, especially as it pertains to education. This work has spilled over into practice, and, in the last few decades, a large number of storytelling systems for children have been developed—both as research prototypes and commercial applications. However, through a systematic analysis of 75 research-based storytelling systems and 39 commercial systems, we find that there remains a problematic gap between research and practice with respect to products in interactive storytelling and child–computer interaction, echoing the well-documented research-practice gap in the general HCI field. We characterize the nature of this gap, highlighting design themes promoted by research-based systems that are not as prevalent in commercial systems, such as tangibility and narrative scaffolds, and vice-versa. Understanding the main areas of discrepancy between research and practice can help focus efforts to close the research-practice gap in storytelling systems for children.

Guest editorial: Bridging the research-practice gaps in supply chain management: lessons from COVID-19

Guest editorial: Bridging the research-practice gaps in supply chain management: lessons from COVID-19

TRAINING CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY FELLOWS TO DELIVER CBT AND DBT: IMPROVED STRATEGIES AND COMPETENCY METRICS

There are many evidence-based psychosocial (EBPs) interventions for youth available, but few providers employ them. One study demonstrated that less than a quarter of the staff used EBPs, although they were required to implement them. Therefore, this Clinical Perspectives aims to attenuate the research-practice gap by offering attendees concrete training strategies as well as metrics for evaluating supervisees’ progress. Special effort is placed on making these recommendations scalable for training programs challenged by time constraints and limited resources.

Editorial: The research-practice gap in entrepreneurship

Editorial: The research-practice gap in entrepreneurship

Multiple needs and multiple treatments. What's a clinician to do? Update on the psychosocial treatment of disruptive behaviours in childhood.

Purpose of reviewThere are a wide range of psychosocial treatment options, delivered in different modalities, for children with disruptive behaviour. However, clinicians face many challenges in ensuring the empirically supported treatments (ESTs) they select will be effective for their patient. This has prompted studies to generate knowledge on how to improve treatment outcomes for children with disruptive behaviour. This review identifies the major challenges in treatment selection as well as emerging research seeking to improve outcomes.Recent findingsThis review emphasizes the salience of the research-practice gap associated with establishing ESTs using narrow definitions of clinical problems. Recent research is reviewed considering the complex determinants of disruptive behaviours, including parent and family factors that influence outcomes. The review subsequently outlines recent advances in research and clinical practice guidelines aiming to surmount these challenges. Key advances discussed include examining the most impactful components of ESTs, personalizing interventions by targeting core dysfunction underlying behaviour, and addressing parent factors including mental health and cultural relevance to improve outcomes.SummaryThorough assessment of patients’ needs, combined with knowledge of treatment response predictors, are recommended to determine the most suitable treatment plan. Recent advances have focused on developing and designing interventions that meet needs in a way that is flexible and tailored.

Leading radiography research to deliver clinical outcomes

Leading radiography research to deliver clinical outcomes