Using Teacher Narratives in the Dissemination of Research-Based Practices

Abstract

Scientifically based research has been promoted in recent policies and legislation. However, the gap between research and practice in special education has prevented many students with disabilities from receiving the research-based instructional practices they require to achieve their potential. Reports of research-based practices may be incomplete without including data, theory, and narrative accounts. Prominently featuring teachers’ accounts of how they effectively use research-based practices may help to facilitate their acceptance and application among practitioners. This introduction concludes with brief overviews of the four articles in this special issue of Intervention in School and Clinic, which provide narratives regarding the use of four research-based practices (i.e., classwide peer tutoring, mnemonics, functional behavior assessment, and curriculum-based measurement), as well as information regarding the research and theoretical basis for each practice.