“New Way to Look at Shared Problems”: Team Science in Special Education Research

In special education, the complexity of serving individuals with disabilities and their families necessitates sustained interdisciplinary collaboration. However, little is known about how the principles of team science are valued and enacted within higher education programs that prepare the field's future scholars and practitioners. In this study, we examined the extent to which special education researchers value and engage in team science. Doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty in special education completed a questionnaire that included both quantitative and qualitative data types. Data from 104 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, and thematic analysis. More than 90% of survey respondents indicated that they valued team science (i.e., interdisciplinary research collaboration), and many reported engaging in it to some extent. Faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and students did not differ in their value for or engagement in such collaborations. Thematic analysis showed that respondents perceived benefits of team science for themselves and the field. Respondents also described barriers to team science and successful strategies for overcoming them.