Assignment: Addressing Gaps in Special Education Research Paper
As a doctoral student and future leader in the field of special education, what do you believe are the key current gaps in practice, as related to evidence-based practices? For this Assignment, you will select a gap in practice that you have identified within the research as it relates to implementing specialized instruction in an area that is of interest to you. Provide evidence from the research to support your rationale as to why addressing this gap in practice will improve the delivery of services to students with exceptionalities and the overall field of special education.
To prepare:
Reflect on the research-to-practice gap and why this is an issue in special education.
·Select a gap identified in the research (i.e., 3–5 current research-based resources) related to a specific specialized instruction topic or specialized instruction across content areas from a previous module.
Compose a 3- to 5-page draft paper addressing a gap that you identified in the research that interests you. Include the following sections:
Section 1: Gaps in Evidence-Based Practice
Provide a 1- to 2-paragraph statement that identifies a gap in the research that is the result of a review of current literature and practice that contains the following information:
·A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in special education practice. Make sure to clarify why you believe that this is a problem of practice in special education. Support your argument by citing current research articles and contrasting them with older research articles related to gaps in practice.
·Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful. Provide a minimum of three to five key citations that support the relevance and currency of the problem. These references need not all be from peer-reviewed journals, but should be from reputable sources, such as national agency databases or scholarly books, and should ideally be from the past 5 years.
Section 2: Significance
Provide 1 or 2 paragraphs informed by the topic outlined in the gaps in evidence-based practice that describe the following:
·How this study will contribute to filling the gap in special education practice. What original contribution will this make?
·How this research will support professional practice or allow practical application: Answer the “So what?” question.
Section 3: Questions
List the research questions or a series of related questions that are informed by the purpose, which will lead to the development of what needs to be done to research the identified gap in practice. A research question informs the research design by providing a foundation for:
·Generation of hypotheses in quantitative studies;
·Questions necessary to build the design structure for qualitative studies; and a
·Process by which different methods will work together in mixed-methods studies.
Section 4: Nature of the Study
Using one of the following terms as a subheading, provide a concise paragraph that discusses the approach that will be used to address the research question(s) and how this approach aligns with the problem statement. The subheadings and examples of study design are as follows:
·Quantitative—for experimental, quasi-experimental, or non-experimental designs, treatment-control, repeated measures, causal-comparative, single-subject, predictive studies, or other quantitative approaches;
·Qualitative—for ethnography, case study, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, phenomenological research, policy analysis, or other qualitative traditions; or
·Mixed methods, primarily qualitative—for sequential, concurrent or transformative studies, with the main focus on qualitative methods, and single subject.
Section 5: Social Change
Consider the relationship between the identified problem of practice and social change. In 2–3 paragraphs, describe:
·How the claim aligns with the problem statement to reflect the potential relevance in this study to society: How might the potential findings lead to positive social change for students with exceptionalities?
·Then, give your perspective. Craft a “Research Promise to Students with Exceptionalities.” Take the researcher’s perspective as you craft this “promise.”
·Example: “As I move through my program, I promise to seek the highest and deepest levels of scholarship in order to bring about meaningful social change for students with exceptionalities. As a part of this promise, I will: [list 2–3 ways in which you will pursue and fulfill this promise].”
