Addressing the Theory-Practice Gap Using Case-Based Learning and Imagined Roles in the Graduate Communication Disorders Classroom

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Code of Ethics (2023) requires all practitioners to uphold the welfare of others without discrimination. Graduate programs in communication sciences and disorders, therefore, must guide future clinicians to apply theoretical knowledge to clinical practice equitably and inclusively. This grounded theory study investigated how an instructor in a graduate communication sciences and disorders (CSD) class used case-based learning (CBL) to fill the theory-practice gap and guide students to think equitably and inclusively for future complex cases. Audio recordings from 12 hours of instructor-student discourse during one semester were transcribed and analyzed verbatim. Three interrelated, interactional themes emerged: the class structure, use of imagined roles (imagining how a clinician or parent/caregiver may respond), and use of equitable and inclusive language. Results highlighted how the instructor’s use of CBL was one effective method to scaffold learning and help fill the theory-practice gap and promote students' co-construction of new knowledge. We propose that utilizing this three-fold approach was an effective way to help fill the theory-practice gap in an equitable and inclusive manner to further student learning without the need to overhaul the curriculum.