Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders

Description

• An exceptionally comprehensive structure and outline covers experimental design, the nature of science, statistical methods, and evidence-based practice, taking students on an in-depth exploration of research models and practices.
• A student-friendly style approaches statistics using a conceptual point of view that emphasizes the proper selection of quantitative methods and their interpretation as opposed to how to compute them.
• Two expert authors represent both the field of speech-language pathology and the field of audiology.
• Learning objectives outline the most important points of each chapter and serve to help students organize their thoughts before and after completing their reading assignments.
• Learning activities, which appear in every chapter, allow students to apply what they have just learned and to think critically about the central concepts just covered.
• A comprehensive glossary of research terms from all chapters appear at the back of the book so that students can quickly look up important concepts and definitions.
• A chapter on how to seek grant support and how to design capstone projects emphasizes the practical applications of the book’s concepts and lessons.

Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders is an engaging, student-friendly text that explores the connection between common communication science research methods and clinical practice. Covering both the conceptual and the quantitative aspects of research methods, evidence-based practice, experimental design, and statistics, this book both elucidates various models of research and practice and explains how these models are important to the greater field of communication science.

 

While some students and practitioners find many books on research, evidence-based practice, and statistical concepts to be intimidating, abstract, and dry, Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders strives to emphasize not only the ideas surrounding evidence-based practice but also how its principles can be applied in clinical practice. The text also includes a number of helpful study aides such as learning objectives, learning activities, and a glossary, all of which help shed considerable light on these challenging and sometimes daunting subjects. 

Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders is an engaging, student-friendly text that explores the connection between common communication science research methods and clinical practice. Covering both the conceptual and the quantitative aspects of research methods, evidence-based practice, experimental design, and statistics, this book both elucidates various models of research and practice and explains how these models are important to the greater field of communication science.

 

While some students and practitioners find many books on research, evidence-based practice, and statistical concepts to be intimidating, abstract, and dry, this text strives to emphasize not only the ideas surrounding evidence-based practice but also how its principles can be applied in clinical practice.

 

Special Features Include:

 

·    An exceptionally comprehensive structure and outline that covers experimental design, the nature of science, statistical methods, and evidence-based practice, taking students on an in-depth exploration of research models and practices.

·    A student-friendly style that approaches statistics using a conceptual point of view that emphasizes the proper selection of quantitative methods and their interpretation as opposed to how to compute them.

·    Learning objectives that outline the most important points of each chapter and serve to help students organize their thoughts before and after completing their reading assignments.

·    Learning activities, which appear in every chapter, allow students to apply what they have just learned and to think critically about the central concepts just covered.

·    A comprehensive glossary of research terms from all chapters appears at the back of the book so that students can quickly look up important concepts and definitions.

·    A chapter on how to seek grant support and how to design capstone projects emphasizes the practical applications of the book’s concepts and lessons.

 

Section I:  Introduction to Research in Communication Disorders

 

Chapter 1:  The Importance of Research in Communication Sciences and Disorders

 

·        Learning Objectives

·        Preconceived notions

·        The role of research in making a profession(al) credible

·        Three examples of professional credibility

·        Our professional literature and the information base

·        The scientific method and clinical work:  The notion of clinician-researcher

·        Common research misconceptions

·        Parallels in clinical and research skills:  Diagnosis

·        Parallels in clinical and research skills:  Treatment

·        The benefits of becoming a clinician-researcher

·        Chapter Summary

·        Learning Activities

 

Section II:  The Nature of Scientific Inquiry and Essentials of Experimental Control 

 

Chapter 2:  Scientific Principles and Methods Used by Researchers

 

·        Learning Objectives

·        Sinister stereotypes

·        Ways of knowing about the world

·        Characteristics of science

·        The Systematic Nature of Science: Scientific method

o       Experimental Control

o       The Public Nature of Science

o       Replication in Science

o       The Empirical Nature of Science

o       Probabilistic Knowledge

·        Ethical issues in research

·        Junk science, pseudoscience and quackery

·        Chapter Summary

·        Learning Activities

 

   Chapter 3:  Crafting Scientific and Answerable Questions

 

·        Learning Objectives

·        Theories, problems, hypotheses and questions

Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders is an engaging, student-friendly text that explores the connection between common communication science research methods and clinical practice. Covering both the conceptual and the quantitative aspects of research methods, evidence-based practice, experimental design, and statistics, this book both elucidates various models of research and practice and explains how these models are important to the greater field of communication science.

 

While some students and practitioners find many books on research, evidence-based practice, and statistical concepts to be intimidating, abstract, and dry, Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders strives to emphasize not only the ideas surrounding evidence-based practice but also how its principles can be applied in clinical practice. The text also includes a number of helpful study aides such as learning objectives, learning activities, and a glossary, all of which help shed considerable light on these challenging and sometimes daunting subjects. 

William O. Haynes has been teaching courses in speech-language pathology at the university level for over thirty years and is currently a professor at Auburn University. Having written over fifty scientific articles and textbooks, Dr. Haynes is the author of Communication Disorders in the Classroom (Jones & Bartlett, 2006), Diagnosis and Evaluation in Speech Pathology (Allyn & Bacon, 2003) and Communication Development (Williams and Wilkins, 1998). 

 

Carole E. Johnson is a professorat Auburn University and has been teaching courses in audiology at the university level for almost twenty years.  She has over 45 publications and has successfully written federal grants for many of her projects.  Dr. Johnson is the author of Handbook of Outcomes Measurement in Audiology (Singular-Thomson, 2002) and Guidebook for Support Programs in Aural Rehabilitation (Singular-Thompson, 1999).