The promise of occupational science: a developmental assessment of an emerging academic discipline.
BACKGROUND
In the late 1980's, occupational science was introduced as a basic discipline that would provide a foundation for occupational therapy. As occupational science grows and develops, some question its relationship to occupational therapy and criticize the direction and extent of its growth and development.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to describe and critically analyze the growth and development of occupational science and characterize how this has shaped its current status and relationship to occupational therapy.


METHODS
Using a mixed methods design, 54 occupational science documents published in the years 1990 and 2000 were critically analyzed to describe changes in the discipline between two points in time. Data describing a range of variables related to authorship, publication source, stated goals for occupational science and type of research were collected.


RESULTS
Descriptive statistics, themes and future directions are presented and discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
Through the support of a discipline that is dedicated to the pursuit of a full understanding of occupation, occupational therapy will help to create a new and complex body of knowledge concerning occupation. However, occupational therapy must continue to make decisions about how knowledge produced within occupational science and other disciplines can be best used in practice.
Molke
Daniel K
DK
Occupational Therapy Program, University of Toronto, Ontario. molke_d@cotarehab.ca
Laliberte-Rudman
Deborah
D
Polatajko
Helene J
HJ
D001319:Authorship; D005544:Forecasting; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000145:classification* / Q000458:organization & administration; D009790:Occupations; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010684:Philosophy; D011643:Publishing; D012106:Research; D012935:Social Justice; D013038:Specialization; D009626:Terminology as Topic