TY - JOUR
T1 - The educational validity and utility of single-case design research in building evidence-based practices in education
AU - Kourea, Lefki
AU - Lo, Ya Yu
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the European Commission under a Marie Sk?odowska-Curie International Outgoing Fellowship [grant number PIOF-GA-2012-331065].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2016/10/1
Y1 - 2016/10/1
N2 - Improving academic, behavioural, and social outcomes of students through empirical research has been a firm commitment among researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals in education across Europe and the United States (U.S.). To assist in building scientific evidences, executive bodies such as the European Commission and the Institute for Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education have established systematic dialogues and expert panels to determine the rigour, relevance, and impact of educational practices and supports as investigated through a range of research methodologies. In this paper, we give an overview of the single-case design (SCD) research, which is part of the quantitative experimental research and is used widely in education and applied behaviour analysis. First, we describe the philosophical assumptions and defining features of SCD methodology and we explain how SCD researchers exert control for data believability. Second, we review criteria suggested by task-force panels (e.g. European Platform for Investing in Children, What Works Clearinghouse, Council for Exceptional Children) to determine evidence-based practices (EBPs). Finally, we conclude with strengths and criticisms addressed for SCD methodology and we discuss implications on how SCD research would contribute on improving learning outcomes of all students and advancing the knowledge base of EBPs.
AB - Improving academic, behavioural, and social outcomes of students through empirical research has been a firm commitment among researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals in education across Europe and the United States (U.S.). To assist in building scientific evidences, executive bodies such as the European Commission and the Institute for Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education have established systematic dialogues and expert panels to determine the rigour, relevance, and impact of educational practices and supports as investigated through a range of research methodologies. In this paper, we give an overview of the single-case design (SCD) research, which is part of the quantitative experimental research and is used widely in education and applied behaviour analysis. First, we describe the philosophical assumptions and defining features of SCD methodology and we explain how SCD researchers exert control for data believability. Second, we review criteria suggested by task-force panels (e.g. European Platform for Investing in Children, What Works Clearinghouse, Council for Exceptional Children) to determine evidence-based practices (EBPs). Finally, we conclude with strengths and criticisms addressed for SCD methodology and we discuss implications on how SCD research would contribute on improving learning outcomes of all students and advancing the knowledge base of EBPs.
KW - Evidence-based practices
KW - experimental research
KW - single-case research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84961215062&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/1743727X.2016.1160278
DO - 10.1080/1743727X.2016.1160278
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84961215062
SN - 1743-727X
VL - 39
SP - 349
EP - 364
JO - International Journal of Research and Method in Education
JF - International Journal of Research and Method in Education
IS - 4
ER -