The central roles of science in the field of remedial and special education are to (a) identify basic laws of nature and (b) apply those laws in the design of practices that achieve socially valued outcomes. The scientific process is designed to allow demonstration of specific (typically positive) outcomes, and to assist in the attribution of…

Two previous studies examining 5 empirical educational psychology research journals (Hsieh et al., 2005; Robinson, Levin, Thomas, Pituch, & Vaughn, 2007) found that in the 21-year period from 1983 to 2004, there was a decrease in intervention and randomized experimental research, whereas in the 10-year period from 1994 to 2004, there was an…

In recent years, single-case designs have increasingly been used to establish an empirical basis for evidence-based interventions and techniques in a variety of disciplines, including psychology and education. Although traditional single-case designs have typically not met the criteria for a randomized controlled trial relative to conventional…

Praises the "Procedural and Coding Manual for Review of Evidence-Based Interventions" for its initial conceptualization and is then questioned with respect to its specific operational features and ultimate purposes. An illustration of the study-coding process is examined in the company of critical concerns that must be addressed before…

Presents a general class of single-case statistical procedures derived from previously developed nonparametric randomization tests. Designs are illustrated that focus on the general and comparative effectiveness of alternative interventions, multiple units with differentiable characteristics, and multiple outcome measures. Provides operational…