U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

If Theory and Practice Were the Same, Then What? A New Approach to Designing Professional Education

NCJ Number
233224
Journal
Child & Youth Services Volume: 31 Issue: 3/4 Dated: July - December 2009 Pages: 188-212
Author(s)
Karen Vanderven
Date Published
December 2009
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This article examines the relationship between theory and practice.
Abstract
Professional education has for decades been based on the premise that theory and practice are dichotomous, and that somehow a way must be found to enable professional practitioners to translate theory (the knowledge they acquire) into practice (what they actually do). The article examines the relationship between theory and practice, contending that theory and practice are the same, and proposes a model of professional education based on this premise. Based primarily on hermeneutic philosophy, a number of approaches to professional education are described that are quite different than those generally employed today. (Published Abstract)