Knowledge Use in Direct Practice

This article reports on an exploratory investigation of knowledge use in actual practice. Seventy-three social workers from six community family services agencies used the systematic planned practice approach to treat a sample of 151 clients. The rationale with which workers supported their decisions on problem dispositions and their formulations of ultimate outcomes, intermediate outcomes, and interventions was classified by qualitative analysis according to the type of knowledge used. Value-based normative assertions were the most frequently used rationale in all four decision-making tasks, followed by theoretical-conceptual and policy rationales. Almost no use was made of research-based knowledge. Knowledge use in decisions on intervention was decidedly less than in other decisions. Knowledge characteristics are discussed in the article in relation to practice decision-making tasks, use patterns, practice orientations, and professional education.