A response to a previous article discounting the effectiveness and contributions of the natural science model in special education research points out flaws in the article's premises and rationale and emphasizes the need for pluralism in research methodology, including correlational, ethnographic, group-contrast, historiographic, qualitative, and…

Addresses methods of assessing social validity in interventions with individuals having behavioral disorders. Discusses three areas: (1) specific behavioral goals; (2) the social appropriateness of the procedures; and (3) the social importance of the outcomes. Issues of validity and utility are also raised. The paper concludes that application of…

This article discusses critical issues related to conducting high-quality intervention research using experimental and quasi-experimental group designs. The importance of defining the nature of the independent variable, the value of measuring implementation, and the improvement of the quality of quasi-experiments are among the controversial topics…

In response to a previous critique of their research on self-monitoring of attention with learning disabled students, the authors focus on such aspects as the theoretical conceptualizations of attention, the issue of improving attentional versus academic behavior, and the type of student for whom self-monitoring of attention is appropriate.…

This paper, a result of a series of meetings of researchers, discusses critical issues related to the conduct of high-quality intervention research in special education using experimental and quasi-experimental designs that compare outcomes for different groups of students. It stresses the need to balance design components that satisfy laboratory…

Two authors of a paper (EC 602 058) reporting a factor analysis on records referring students to special education comment on their research: how their interest developed, their reaction to critics, clinical impressions acquired from the data, and the possible bias of school personnel toward referring more boys than girls for special education.…