Sepcial Education Research in Arab Countries (1998- 2007): an Analysis of its Trends, Quality, and Relationship with Educational Practices

Abstract

This study surveyed Arab special education research
published in the last decade. A total of 216 theses and journal
studies were surveyed. The results indicated that most studies
were non-experimental. Most commonly addressed special
education categories were: learning disabilities, intellectual
disabilities, more than one disability,and hearing
impairments. Most commonly addressed topics were:
verification of program effectiveness, characteristics and
needs of students, description of services, and measurement
and evaluation. The results also revealed that most
experimental studies were of the quasi-experimental type. In
half of the studies, the researcher him/her self did not
implement the program. The strongest dimensions in these
studies were: using appropriate data analysis techniques, and
using statistical methods to control variability among
experimental and control groups. The weakest dimensions
were: lack of information about fidelity of program
implementation, and data collectors' knowledge of
experimental conditions. In the third part, a further analysis of
a randomly selected sample consisting of 43 non-experimental
studies was conducted. Results showed that the strongest
dimensions in the non-experimental studies were: research
title clarity and consistency with content, data analysis, and
methods and procedures. The weakest dimensions were:
consideration of ethical aspects and presentation of practical
difficulties encountered. In the last part, relationship of
research with special education practices was addressed and
this relationship was judged to be poor