Title

The relationship between research training environment and research/practice activities for marriage and family therapists

Date of Completion

January 2002

Keywords

Sociology, Individual and Family Studies

Degree

Ph.D.

Abstract

This paper examines factors influencing research-related career activities for Clinical members of AAMFT. An overview of the scientist-practitioner gap in the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT) is provided. The theory of the Research Training Environment is explicated, which includes elements of training theorized to result in positive attitudes toward research. It reports the findings of the author's quantitative study, that found that research training environment, intentions to be involved in research prior to graduate school, and barriers to doing research at work were significant predictors of actual hours spent in research activities for MFTs. The study also found that Clinical members are doing very little research in their careers, regardless of their graduate degree. Implications for training and for the field of MFT are discussed. ^

COinS