Introduction to the Special Series: Examining the Special Education Research Base

This introduction to the special series, Examining the Special Education Research Base, situates the work within broader concerns about questionable research practices and the reproducibility crisis in science. We review lessons from other fields, summarize existing meta-research in special education, and provide an overview of three reviews examining publication bias, selective outcome reporting, and the scarcity of null findings. Shared themes suggest that although the special education field appears to have fewer problems than some disciplines, potential threats to the validity of the special education research base were identified. We conclude by highlighting the implications of the three reviews for research and practice, and calling for the greater adoption of open-science practices to strengthen the evidence base in special education.