ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the goals of science, education, and clinical practice. To student-researchers and scientist-practitioners, their contribution to the advancement of science may seem small. There has been a call by government for educators and clinicians to adopt evidence-based practices. This call is reflected in research, personnel preparation, and service grant programs directed by such agencies as the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and National Institute of Mental Health. The fact that teacher/therapist-researchers who work in community settings often must utilize existing resources can add to the generality of their research findings. Applied behavioral analysis has been adopted and made an integral part of special and general education, speech language therapy, clinical and school psychology, neuropsychology, recreation therapy, adaptive physical education, and many other disciplines. The applied researcher who demonstrates positive changes in children's behavior, in academic performance as well as in social behavior, produces evidence of a benefit of the instructional process.
