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Current Research
Reducing the Research-Practice Gap in Domestic Violence
The underutilization of research by domestic violence practitioners and the lack of attention by researchers to the experiences and wisdom of practitioners have been identified by numerous scholars. This “research-practice gap” has the potential to hinder progress in both research and practice. In the area of practice, approaches shown to be ineffective may continue to be used, and demonstrated effective approaches may fail to be implemented. In the area of research, failure to consider practical implications of studies can lead to research that is out of line with the actual needs of clients and service providers. For these reasons, the domestic violence research-practice gap represents a significant challenge for both researchers and practitioners to address.
We have conducted a series of studies to understand and address various facets of the gap between research and practice in domestic violence prevention and intervention. The first study involved a statewide survey of domestic violence service providers to examine their needs and perceptions related to research. The second study involved the development of a scale to measure domestic violence researchers’ perceptions of the links between research and practice. The third study involved a Delphi study of representatives from state domestic violence coalitions to identify possible solutions to bridging the gap between research and practice. To obtain a summary of Delphi study, download this pdf file. We thank the National Network to End Domestic Violence for this help with this study.
Currently, we are in the early stages of developing a system to help bridge the gap between research and practice related to domestic violence. As part of this development, we have conducted a focus group with service providers in the state and plan to conduct at least one more focus group.