Two major developments in the therapeutic massage and bodywork profession have recently brought to the forefront the issue of research competencies. The profession has been called to a potentially heightened level of credibility. One challenge to the profession's development is that of coordinating the various curricular, instructional, organizational, and resource dimensions essential to advancing massage therapy research competencies. The paper suggests a multi-dimensional framework intended to initiate critical discussions of how to proceed. The framework's eight dimensions are: curricular and instructional contexts for teaching massage therapy research competencies (MTRCs); application tasks for demonstrating MTRCs; learning activities for enhancing MTRCs; print, electronic, and personal resources for promoting MTRCs; types of massage therapy research in documents; potential research strategies; potential areas of inquiry in massage therapy research; and organizational contexts for supporting massage therapy research. (Contains 15 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Research Competencies 1 ) , \c, Running head: MASSAGE THERAPY RESEARCH COMPETENCIES PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF Office of Educational Research EDUCATION and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) O This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Advancing Massage Therapy Research Competencies: DilllellSiOnS for Thought and Action Glenn M. Hymel Loyola University New Orleans .0 Paper presented via poster session at the annual meeting of the American Massage Therapy Association, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, October 2001. BEST COPY AVAILABLE 0 Research Competencies 2 Abstract Two major developments in the therapeutic massage and bodywork profession have recently brought to the forefront, in a most comprehensive fashion, the issue of research competencies. Specifically, the efforts of (a) the AMTA Foundation's Massage Research Agenda Workgroup and (b) COMTA' s competency-based standards inclusive of a research component have called the profession to a potentially heightened level of credibility. Accompanying such an opportunity for our profession's development, though, are challenges still to be successfully deliberated and acted upon. One such challenge is that of coordinating the various curricular, instnictional, organizational, and resource dimensions essential to advancing massage therapy research competencies. Accordingly, this paper suggests a multi-dimensional framework intended to initiate critical discussions of how we might now proceed. Research Competencies 3 Advancing Massage Therapy Research Competencies: Dimensions for Thought and Action "I never faced a Problem which was more than the eternal problem of finding order" (Skinner, as cited in Gage, 1963, p.88). Although the actual context of B. F. Skinner's quote was that of his dissenting from any overly formal view of the scientific meths:id, its utterance came to mind as I read several recent documents leading to our profession's current commitment to promotingmassage therapy research competencies (MTRCs). Allow me to explain. The pioneering efforts of Tiffany Field (e.g.: 1998, 2000a, 2000b) in diverse areas of massage therapy research over the past decade has sounded a clarion call to all in our profession regarding the need for and ability to generate empirical evidence foundational to our work. Additionally, the strategic decision of the AMTA Foundationto convene the multidisciplinary Massage Research Agenda Workgroup (MRAW) in 1999 has provided an excellent basis from which to proceed in our efforts to include scientific inquiry as still another feature of OUT claim as a viable form of alternative medicine. Recent reports stemming from the MRAW' s deliberations have appeared in various backgroundpapers, outcome summaries, and recommendations that have been characterized by AMTA Foundation President JohnBalleto (as cited in Kahn, 2001a) as awe inspiringa view with which I certainly agree. Specifically, the MRAW-commissioned background paper by Cassidy (199811999) indeed set the stage by virtue of its exhaustive discussion of the complex and multidisciplinary journey on which the workgroup was embarking. Recently, Kahn's (2001a, 2001b) two synthesizing articles have served to report in a comprehensive way the outcomes and 4 Research Competencies 4 recommendations of the workgoup and, thereby, to acknowledge publicly the charge that we now face as a profession. Another related work of recent vintage indeed germane to the abovecited reports is the comprehensive