Provides a practical approach for Occupational Therapy students and clinicians to shape their practice. This research methodologies text covers the key topics that should be covered in OT courses related to research and evidence-based practice, including qualitative and quantitative designs.

Section 1: The Nature and Scope of Inquiry in a Practice Profession; The Necessity of Research in a Profession; The Aim of Research: Philosophical Foundations of Scientific Inquiry; The Range of Research; Characteristics of Sound Inquiry and the Research Process; Professional Responsibility and Roles in Research; Section 2: Quantitative Designs; Descriptive Quantitative Designs; Group Comparison Studies: Quantitative Research Designs; Survey Research Design; Study Designs for Secondary Analysis of Existing Data; Longitudinal Research: Design and Analysis; Single-Subject Research; Section 3: Quantitative Measurement; Developing and Evaluating Quantitative Data Collection Instruments; Objective Measurement: The Influence of Item Response Theory on Research and Practice; Evaluating the Use of Assessments in Practice and Research; Section 4: Statistical Analysis; Making Meaning from Numbers: Measurements and Descriptive Statistics; Concepts of Inferential Statistics: From Sample to Population; Section 5: Qualitative Methods; Overview of Qualitative Research; Gathering Qualitative Data; The Nature and Use of Consensus Methodology in Practice; Using Mixed Methods Designs to Study Therapy and its Outcomes; Section 6: Other Design Approaches; Organizing the Components of Inquiry Together: Planning and Implementing a Coherent Study and Research Tradition; Searching the Literature; Section 7: Conducting Inquiry; Assessing Need for Services; Using Research to Develop and Evaluate Programs of Service; Participatory Research in Occupational Therapy; Building Culturally Competent Community-University Partnerships for; Participatory Research for the Development and Evaluation of Occupational Therapy: Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration; Section 8: Enhancing Practice Through Inquiry; Definition, Evolution & Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy; Analyzing Evidence for Practice; Managing Change and Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice; Creating Outcome Research Relevant for Evidence Based Practice; Section 9: Evidence Based Practice.