The Promise and Challenge of Practice-Research Collaborations: Guiding Principles and Strategies for Initiating, Designing, And Implementing Program Evaluation Research (Report‪)‬

Social work researchers and practitioners bring complementary expertise and commitments to their understandings of complex and seemingly intractable social problems. Such expertise and commitments promise much success in efforts to evaluate the human service programs and interventions aimed at these problems (Reback, Cohen, Freese, & Shoptaw, 2002). Unfortunately, in too many cases, this promise goes unrealized. Interpersonal barriers such as the lack of mutual respect prevent or dismantle the practice-research collaborations before meaningful findings about program interventions can be generated (L.J. Johnson, Zorn, Tam, Lamontagne, & Johnson, 2003; Roper, 2002; Taut & Alkin, 2003). Although the literature on the characteristics and benefits of collaboration models (Demarteau, 2002; Mullen, 1998; Roper, 2002; Truman & Raine, 2001) and on evaluative research (Dennis, Perl, Huebner, & McLellan, 2000; Matthews & Hudson, 2001; Raschick & Critchley, 1998; Stevenson, Florin, Mills, & Andrade, 2002) is abundant, surprisingly little has been written about collaboration strategies that can guide a practice-research team through the various activities that occur throughout the research process. This article addresses that gap in the literature. As does any research effort, the evaluation research process unfolds as specific tasks are accomplished systematically at various stages. We suggest that each of these tasks require the use of distinct skill sets and collaborative strategies. Most important, the collaboration strategies specific to one research stage serve as building blocks for the next stage.