The Words Beneath My Wings: Using Rigorous Qualitative Tools in Rural Special Education Research

Engaging in qualitative research can reveal experiences and perceptions that help improve the lives of students with disabilities and those who support them. In this article, we address the critical need for qualitative research in rural special education. Drawing on foundational literature, we highlight the importance of rigor and reflexivity in qualitative approaches while cautioning researchers against applying generic strategies without consideration of the unique contexts of rural education. We describe six qualitative tasks, including three qualitative tools that could be used in all research designs and three qualitative research methods. We include exemplars to illustrate how researchers have applied each task in rural special education research.