No abstract

Special education policy and scholarship have increasingly emphasized the use of research, which encompasses interdependent methodological approaches designed to address specific questions. Consequently, the knowledge available to practitioners, policymakers, and other consumers is a function of the research designs featured in the literature. This study describes the prevalence of methodological approaches appearing in special education journals ( n = 33). An assessment of a sample of articles ( n = 12,669) published from 1999 to 2019 found that much of the published research ( n = 9,543) emphasizes nonexperimental, quantitative inquiry (57.86%). Experimental research is comparatively less common (25.51%) and encompasses both single-case (14.22%) and group experimental designs (11.29%). Qualitative studies (9.38%) appear far less frequently. Patterns of publication vary based on journal emphasis. A description of results is followed by a discussion of implications for the consumption and generation of evidence in special education.

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities (SWD) receive remote or online instruction in secondary mathematics. Unprecedented shifts in teaching modalities during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for effective remote instruction. The present study surveyed 31 general and special education teachers to identify features of remote instruction in secondary mathematics for SWD and understand the changes between Spring and Fall of 2020. Teachers reported increases in the variety of presentation and practice methods and the use of synchronous methods of feedback. Assessment and methods of providing feedback on assessments remained stable over time. Shifts represented alignment with existing frameworks for best practices in online learning and provided opportunities for the incorporation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) into secondary mathematics instruction. Barriers, such as progress monitoring and providing intensive instruction, remain prevalent and critical areas for continued investigation.