Discovery of Knowledge in Practice

Given the number of occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs and graduates with professional doctoral degrees, the concept of practice scholarship is increasingly important. The scholarly work of occupational therapy practitioners guided by a research model is appropriate for those who have trained as researchers or OTD students and practitioners receiving mentorship from occupational therapy research scientists. A research model of scholarship may not fit the scholarly work of most occupational therapy practitioners with an OTD. We propose the Scholarship of Knowledge Discovery in Practice model, which emphasizes how contextual factors influence the generation and application of knowledge, particularly in addressing feasibility and sustainability challenges when integrating evidence into practice. This model prioritizes discovery when solving practice problems through quality improvement, program development, and innovation. OTD students and occupational therapy practitioners may use this model in generating scholarly work through capstones and ongoing enactment of the scholarly role. The recognition of practice scholarship as making important contributions to the profession may generate multiple vehicles through which to disseminate the discovery of knowledge in practice.