Evidence-based practice: A challenge for European developmental psychology.

In recent years the evidence-based practice movement has been seeing great gains in impact. Standards for research leading to evidence-based practice have been defined. So far, however, in the area of education standards of evidence are not extensively implemented and in most federal European policies an evidence-based reform has not been attained. The present paper advocates investing effort in evidence-based practice. In particular, the paper invites European developmental psychology and its representatives to transfer their knowledge and contribute to evidence-based practice which, in turn, will foster positive child and youth development. Incipiently, the paper discusses the new challenges facing universities and European scientific societies as contexts for scientific disciplines and their perspectives. Then, current directions in developmental psychology are described. The central section of the paper focuses on standards of evidence and the use of research for evidence-based practice and policy. It highlights the challenge facing European developmental psychology concerning active contribution to evidence-based practice. Two empirical examples are presented: (1) illustrating that kindergarten and school are the places where evidence-based practice preventions and interventions should take place; and (2) describing various steps of the transfer of basic research to evidence-based practice. Finally, the contribution that the European Society for Developmental Psychology can make to support the transfer of knowledge to evidence-based practice is outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]