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Reducing the gap between research and practice in school psychology
Author(s) -
Kehle Thomas J.,
Bray Melissa A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/pits.20093
Subject(s) - psychology , school psychology , pedagogy , medical education , social psychology , medicine
We argue that the existence of the gap is perhaps a result of an overallegiance to the medical model and the lack of measurable criteria regarding the definition of an educated and psychologically healthy student. Further, an additional and equally daunting problem for school psychological practice is that it is influenced by general education that has scant evidence of accumulated scientifically based knowledge that demonstratively improves the education of children. The belief that educational practice continually increases in its effectiveness is simply not warranted. Consequently, educational practice is in constant reform and subjected to legal mandates that are most often equally ineffective and at times even detrimental. The intent of this paper is to suggest ways, within this broader milieu, to reduce the gap between science and practice. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 577–584, 2005.