scholarly journals Opening Doors to Open Science and Scholarship for School Psychology Research, Training, and Practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Roberson ◽  
Ryan L. Farmer ◽  
Steven Shaw ◽  
Shelley Upton ◽  
Imad Zaheer
Keyword(s):  
School Psychology ◽  
School Psychologists ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Science Practices ◽  
Research Findings

Trustworthy scientific evidence is essential if school psychologists are to use evidence-based practices to solve the big problems students, teachers, and schools face. Open science practices promote transparency, accessibility, and robustness of research findings, which increases the trustworthiness of scientific claims. Simply, when researchers, trainers, and practitioners can ‘look under the hood’ of a study, (a) the researchers who conducted the study are likely to be more cautious, (b) reviewers are better able to engage the self-correcting mechanisms of science, and (c) readers have more reason to trust the research findings. We discuss questionable research practices that reduce the trustworthiness of evidence; specific open science practices; applications specific to researchers, trainers, and practitioners in school psychology; and next steps in moving the field toward openness and transparency.

Are We Preparing School Psychologists for Evidence-Based Practices? Considering Research Methods Curricula

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Shaw ◽  
Sierra Pecsi
Keyword(s):  
School Psychology ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
School Psychologists ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Psychology Training Programs ◽  
Learning School

Professional service delivery in school psychology is changing. The evolution toward complex service delivery (e.g., social justice, social and emotional learning, school climate) in the context of evidence-based practices has resulted in important changes in training and curricula for school psychologists. Training programs have responded to the new directions of the profession by revisiting the focus of curricula while maintaining consistency with the standards established by accrediting bodies and credentialing standards. Despite the evolution of the profession and increased focus on evidence-based practices, research methods and statistics courses have changed little. Research methods curricula, usually not taught by core school psychology faculty, do not often directly support evidence-based practices. Issues and problems of current research methods curricula are reviewed. Revisiting research methods curricula is an opportunity to provide students with the skills to help them become better evidence-based clinicians. Recommendations for school psychology training programs are presented to improve the utility, relevance, and applicability of research methods curricula. More than a relic of an interpretation of the scientist-practitioner model, mindful curricular reform in research methods can be the foundation upon which evidence-based practices and quality school psychology service delivery rests: useful, relevant, and flexible.

Pre-Registration in the Undergraduate Dissertation: A Critical Discussion

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Pownall
Keyword(s):  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Statistics Anxiety ◽  
Questionable Research Practices ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Data Analysis Plan

Currently under review at Psychology Teaching Review. Over recent years, Psychology has become increasingly concerned with reproducibility and replicability of research findings (Munafò et al., 2017). One method of ensuring that research is hypothesis driven, as opposed to data driven, is the process of publicly pre-registering a study’s hypotheses, data analysis plan, and procedure prior to data collection (Nosek, Ebersole, DeHaven, & Mellor, 2018). This paper discusses the potential benefits of introducing pre-registration to the undergraduate dissertation. The utility of pre-registration as a pedagogic practice within dissertation supervision is also critically appraised, with reference to open science literature. Here, it is proposed that encouraging pre-registration of undergraduate dissertation work may alleviate some pedagogic challenges, such as statistics anxiety, questionable research practices, and research clarity and structure. Perceived barriers, such as time and resource constraints, are also discussed.

Book Review: Jolly, J.L., & Jarvis, J.M. (Eds). (2018). Exploring Gifted Education: Australian and New Zealand Perspectives. Melbourne, Australia: Routledge.

2020 ◽  
pp. 54-59
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Gifted Education ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Central Thesis ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Areas Of Concern

In this first edition book, editors Jolly and Jarvis have compiled a range of important, contemporary gifted education topics. Key areas of concern focus on evidence-based practices and research findings from Australia and New Zealand. Other contributors include 14 gifted education experts from leading Australian and New Zealand Universities and organisations. Exploring Gifted Education: Australian and New Zealand Perspectives, introduced by the editors, is well organised. Jolly and Jarvis’s central thesis in their introduction is to acknowledge the disparity between policy, funding and practice in Australia and New Zealand. Specifically, in relation to Australia, they note that a coordinated, national research agenda is absent, despite recommendations published by the Australian Senate Inquiry almost 20 years ago.

The Role of Open Science Practices in Scaling Evidence-Based Prevention Programs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren H. Supplee ◽  
Robert T. Ammerman ◽  
Anne K. Duggan ◽  
John A. List ◽  
Dana Suskind
Keyword(s):  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Science Practices

Open science reforms: Strengths, challenges, and future directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn R. Wentzel
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Educational Psychology ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Science Practices ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Impact

In this article, I comment on the potential benefits and limitations of open science reforms for improving the transparency and accountability of research, and enhancing the credibility of research findings within communities of policy and practice. Specifically, I discuss the role of replication and reproducibility of research in promoting better quality studies, the identification of generalizable principles, and relevance for practitioners and policymakers. Second, I suggest that greater attention to theory might contribute to the impact of open science practices, and discuss ways in which theory has implications for sampling, measurement and research design. Ambiguities concerning the aims of preregistration and registered reports also are highlighted. In conclusion, I discuss structural roadblocks to open science reform and reflect on the relevance of these reforms for educational psychology.

scholarly journals Enthusiasm-Based or Evidence-Based Charities: Personal Reflections Based on the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 802-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. L. Shek
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Charitable Foundations ◽  
The World ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Personal Reflections ◽  
The Needy

In charitable foundations throughout the world, different approaches are used to allocate funding. As many projects with good will (i.e., enthusiasm-based charity) actually fail to help those who really need it, it is argued that the evidence-based approach (i.e., charity guided by scientific evidence) represents the best strategy to support projects that can really help the needy. Using this approach, scientific research findings are systematically used to (1) understand the nature of the problem and/or social needs, (2) design appropriate intervention programs based on the best available evidence, and (3) systematically evaluate the outcomes of the developed program. Using the Project P.A.T.H.S. funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as an example, the characteristics underlying this approach are outlined. The systematic use of scientific evidence in the Project P.A.T.H.S. is exemplary in different Chinese societies. This project provides much insight for charitable foundations and funding bodies locally and globally.

Moving Research into Practice: Can We Make Dissemination Stick?

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-180
Author(s):  
Bryan G. Cook ◽  
Lysandra Cook ◽  
Timothy J. Landrum
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
What Works ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
Traditional Approaches

Although researchers in special education have made significant advances in defining and identifying evidence-based practices, scholars often constitute an insular group that disseminates research findings primarily through outlets and venues targeting like-minded researchers using traditional approaches. Thus, despite tangible results in determining what works, using dissemination approaches that fail to resonate with or influence practitioners represents an important but often overlooked contributor to the ongoing research-to-practice gap in special education. The authors argue that empirical and theoretical literature outside of special education may offer insight into how ideas take hold, which may be especially relevant to the effective dissemination of evidence-based practices. Drawing on Heath and Heath's (2008) model, the authors describe 6 characteristics of messages that are likely to “stick”: (a) simple, (b) unexpected, (c) concrete, (d) credible, (e) emotional, and (f) stories. The authors consider each in terms of implications for dissemination of special education research findings, and urge special education researchers to consider researching, refining, and applying dissemination strategies that can make special education research matter on a broader scale.

Unhealthy Politics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Patashnik ◽  
Alan S. Gerber ◽  
Conor M. Dowling
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Medical Industry ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Delivery Of Medical Care ◽  
Based Medicine

The U.S. medical system is touted as the most advanced in the world, yet many common treatments are not based on sound science. This book sheds new light on why the government's response to this troubling situation has been so inadequate, and why efforts to improve the evidence base of U.S. medicine continue to cause so much political controversy. The book paints a portrait of a medical industry with vast influence over which procedures and treatments get adopted, and a public burdened by the rising costs of health care yet fearful of going against “doctor's orders.” It offers vital insights into the limits of science, expertise, and professionalism in American politics. The book explains why evidence-based medicine is important. First, the delivery of unproven care can expose patients to serious risks. Second, the slow integration of evidence can lead to suboptimal outcomes for patients who receive treatments that work less well for their conditions than alternatives. Third, the failure to implement evidence-based practices encourages wasteful spending, causing the health care system to underperform relative to its level of investment. This book assesses whether the delivery of medical care in the United States is evidence based. It argues that by systematically ignoring scientific evidence (or the lack thereof), the United States is substantially out of balance.

Reducing Low-Value Practices a Functional-Contextual Consideration to Aid in De-Implementation Efforts

2020 ◽  
pp. 082957352097491
Author(s):  
Ryan L. Farmer ◽  
Imad Zaheer ◽  
Gary J. Duhon ◽  
Stephanie Ghazal
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Analysis ◽  
School Psychologists ◽  
Applied Behavior Analysis ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Operant Learning ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices

Through innovation in research and self-correction, it is inevitable that some practices will be replaced or be discredited for one reason or another. De-implementation of discredited and low-value practices is a necessary step for school psychologists’ maintenance of evidence-based practices and to reduce unnecessary costs and risk. However, efforts to clarify de-implementation frameworks and strategies are ongoing. The scope of this paper follows McKay et al. in considering the potential for de-implementation strategies to be informed by applied behavior analysis and operant learning theory. We conceptualize low-value practice as sets of behaviors evoked by their context and maintained by their consequences, and thus de-implementation as behavior reduction. We discuss the need for future research given this perspective.

Collaboration in Giftedness and Talent Development Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-107
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Makel ◽  
Kendal N. Smith ◽  
Erin M. Miller ◽  
Scott J. Peters ◽  
Matthew T. McBee
Keyword(s):  
Gifted Education ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Research Practices ◽  
Science Practices ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Potential Improvement

Existing research practices in gifted education have many areas for potential improvement so that they can provide useful, generalizable evidence to various stakeholders. In this article, we first review the field’s current research practices and consider the quality and utility of its research findings. Next, we discuss how open science practices increase the transparency of research so readers can more effectively evaluate its validity. Third, we introduce five large-scale collaborative research models that are being used in other fields and discuss how they could be implemented in gifted education research. Finally, we review potential challenges and limitations to implementing collaborative research models in gifted education. We believe greater use of large-scale collaboration will help the field overcome some of its methodological challenges to help provide more precise and accurate information about gifted education.

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