The ‘Gap’ Between Theory and Practice
The ‘Gap’ between Theory and Practice
Many articles have been published in regards to bridging the gap between theory and practice, which suggests there is a substantial gap between the transition from university to the workplace. This occurs in all industries, from information technology through to nursing, which has been described in the past as an “embarrassing failure” (Rafferty et al., 1996 p.685). The goal of university should be to properly equip students with relevant theory in their chosen field as well as the skills and practice to enable them to appropriately adapt and perform when they enter the workplace. Currently there is quite a strong general consensus that the gap not only exists and is pressing but is also increasing (Spouse 2001; Landers 2000).
Current literature has examined the available knowledge surrounding the practice and theory gap, and a number of issues have been discovered. Prominently, the major question is whether or not the student is ready for the transition into a workplace from their years at university. Added to this, the perception of the lecturer or tutor in comparison to the perception of the student seems to contrast. It appears there is quite a significant gap between these two perceptions, after sifting through numerous articles concerned with this gap, no research has identified the theory and practice gap from the student’s perspective. This could prove to be one of the key downfalls in bridging the gap. As student’s priorities and understanding may differ from the teacher’s, therefore, from day one there is already a gap in regards to teaching methods. This can also be due to student’s lack of concentration and interest, which may be a result of too much theory and not enough practice.
Another vital issue surrounding the theory practice gap, is very simple and generic, but key to bridging the gap, employability. A student’s employability, their general skills and attributes play a major role in the
Many articles have been published in regards to bridging the gap between theory and practice, which suggests there is a substantial gap between the transition from university to the workplace. This occurs in all industries, from information technology through to nursing, which has been described in the past as an “embarrassing failure” (Rafferty et al., 1996 p.685). The goal of university should be to properly equip students with relevant theory in their chosen field as well as the skills and practice to enable them to appropriately adapt and perform when they enter the workplace. Currently there is quite a strong general consensus that the gap not only exists and is pressing but is also increasing (Spouse 2001; Landers 2000).
Current literature has examined the available knowledge surrounding the practice and theory gap, and a number of issues have been discovered. Prominently, the major question is whether or not the student is ready for the transition into a workplace from their years at university. Added to this, the perception of the lecturer or tutor in comparison to the perception of the student seems to contrast. It appears there is quite a significant gap between these two perceptions, after sifting through numerous articles concerned with this gap, no research has identified the theory and practice gap from the student’s perspective. This could prove to be one of the key downfalls in bridging the gap. As student’s priorities and understanding may differ from the teacher’s, therefore, from day one there is already a gap in regards to teaching methods. This can also be due to student’s lack of concentration and interest, which may be a result of too much theory and not enough practice.
Another vital issue surrounding the theory practice gap, is very simple and generic, but key to bridging the gap, employability. A student’s employability, their general skills and attributes play a major role in the
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