ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we will review the relationship, often not a good one, between theory and practice. We will begin by introducing the idea of “practice”. We clearly need to think more carefully about it before we can address the theory-practice relationship. We will then go on to analyse ways in which the relationship between theory and practice have been discussed in SSH. Theory is often especially valued in the research community and the development of theory seen as a mark of academic quality, but it can be off-putting to many practitioners. The main contours of the debate around the “theory-practice gap”, prominent in a range of applied fields (including management, nursing, and education) will be discussed. This will include ways in which the literature suggests the theory-practice gap may be bridged, something that will be relevant in our analysis of our empirical research later.
