Merging Basic with Practical Research to Enhance the Adolescent Experience

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper by Jones was to present a summary of the Fifth Biennial Conference on Adolescent Research. METHODOLOGY: The author attended the Fifth Biennial Conference on Adolescent Research in Tucson, Arizona, in March of 1989. He attended as many sessions as possible, listening sometimes as a practitioner to identify results of research that might be able to offer practical solutions to adolescent problems, and at other times as a researcher, with an ear out for practical applications of theory that needed empirical testing. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The author found that, despite the good intentions of the conference to bridge the gap between research and practice, both researchers and practitioners continued to work in environments isolated from one another. The primary complaint on the part of the researchers was the lack of access to adolescent populations; practitioners held that research could not offer them much to help them in their efforts of addressing youth issues. AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS: The author felt that there were four primary issues that would need to be considered before any successful union between the two parties could be achieved: a) convincing educators of the existence of a problem; b) making these people realize that they can and should have an impact upon the problem; c) ensuring that researchers can offer viable solutions to these problems; and d) ensuring that researchers provide information that will act to complement the objectives of the educators. In order to make educators aware of the problems that exist for adolescents, the author suggested that the phenomena of violence and crime, substance use and abuse, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent dropouts all be counted and considered as manifestations of the problem. Specific problem areas should be identified across various demographic variables, such as socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, age, grade in school and family status, for example. Counts can demonstrate that problems exist, and can monitor trends and identify at-risk populations, but the can do little to indicate what the most appropriate form of prevention or sequence of intervention might be. In order to convince school personnel that the problem for adolescents is one in which they can and should play a part, educators must first throw off their hesitance to accept any changing roles that exceed the traditional boundary of information dissemination and development of skills. Schools must now educate both students and parents in areas such as sex, drugs, abuse and health, as a wide range of socialization, once taught at home, is now being supplied by the school. Research must take into account the fact that few teacher-orientation programs can help the teaching staff become proficient in all areas of student needs. Researchers must also base their work in sound theory, and empirically validate any possible solutions that are to be considered viable. Solutions to substance abuse, for example, based upon moral, legal, health or deterrence through education models have all failed to produce behavioral changes, and were often based upon speculation, not theory. The author stressed the need to conduct further, complex research that is grounded in solid theory, and that takes into account social, psychological, cultural, environmental and developmental diversity, since traditional unidimensional approaches to prevention have failed. Researchers must also work at providing information that can complement the objectives of the nation's educators. They must evaluate, interpret and state the practical implications of their findings in a clear manner, in a way that can be easily understood and applied by practitioners. These practitioners must share their experiences in the field, about which strategies work best for them and about how the research findings have been utilized. Researchers must consider how to pass on their information to best promote healthy adolescent functioning and teacher competence and skill. The author concluded with the hope that the combination of research and practice could improve society's ability to protect its young from following a path that might cause them trouble in the future. EVALUATION: The author presents an interesting and valuable examination of the issues surrounding the research/practice gap in social science. In a well-written paper, he summarizes four clearly explained and seemingly viable strategies to try to bridge this gap, with a focus upon enhancing the adolescent experience. This paper, and the whole Conference from which this work was drawn, should be viewed as a foundation for future planning in the field of adolescent development and functioning. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - Educational Factors KW - Juvenile Offender KW - Juvenile Violence KW - Program Recommendations KW - Research Methods KW - Research Recommendations KW - Juvenile Development KW - Intervention Program KW - Intervention Recommendations KW - Prevention Program KW - Prevention Recommendations KW - Crime Effects KW - Juvenile Crime KW - Juvenile Behavior KW - Behavior Effects KW - Violence Effects KW - Violence Intervention KW - Violence Prevention KW - Juvenile Pregnancy KW - School Based KW - School Dropout Prevention KW - Pregnancy Prevention KW - Suicide Prevention KW - Juvenile Suicide KW - Juvenile Homicide KW - Homicide Prevention KW - Juvenile Substance Use KW - Substance Use Prevention KW - Substance Use Intervention KW - Drug Use Prevention KW - Drug Use Intervention KW - Alcohol Use Prevention KW - Alcohol Use Intervention