[rehab] National Center for Special Education Research to Host Training on Single-Case Methodology, Education Research News, January 2011

[Nightingale, Noel]

Link:
http://ies.ed.gov/whatsnew/newsletters/?index=roundncser

Text:
>From the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)

NCSER-Sponsored Training to Provide Researchers with Valuable Skills in Cutting-Edge Single-Case Methodology

NCSER is sponsoring a summer training institute that aims to increase the national capacity of education researchers to conduct single-case intervention studies with scientifically credible methodology and analyses.

Classroom instruction in this training institute, Single-Case Intervention Research Design and Analysis, will be led by experts Thomas Kratochwill and Joel Levin. The training will be held from June 27 to July 1 in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Single-case experimental research plays an important role in the development of evidence-based practice in special education, and is used by researchers in an array of disciplines. The technique is particularly important for special education researchers who study low-incidence disabilities for which group design is not feasible.

Single-case design, which has several variations, is a method in which an individual "case" is the unit of intervention and analysis. The case is often an individual, but may be a classroom, school, or district. The intended outcome is measured repeatedly over time under different conditions or levels of intervention, and the individual case under investigation provides its own control for purposes of comparison. This training will help to build the capacity of the research community to conduct methodologically rigorous single-case intervention research.

This one-week training is designed for education researchers at various stages in their professional careers, from postdoctoral fellows to senior researchers. Participants will:

*       Gain an understanding of situations in which this research design is appropriate and advantageous, as well as the limitations and unresolved issues surrounding the design;
*       Learn both traditional and improved single-case designs;
*       Acquire skills in both visual and statistical analytical techniques with single-case design data;
*       Learn how to transition from single-case to group design and use single-case research to complement group design; and
*       Implement this new knowledge by participating in group projects to develop proposals for single-case intervention research.

"We have a terrific faculty for the Institute who will offer Cutting-Edge advances in methodology and data analysis," said Dr. Kratochwill. "The training curriculum promises to be extremely relevant for researchers with numerous opportunities to craft research proposals during the week-long Institute."

Dr. Kratochwill is the Sears-Bascom Professor and director of the School Psychology Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also director of the Educational and Psychological Training Center, an interdisciplinary unit for clinical and applied training, and co-director of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Education Resource Center. His research focuses on the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of child psychopathology and single-case research design.

Dr. Levin is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Arizona. Dr. Levin formerly served as head of the Learning and Instruction Division of the American Educational Research Association and as editor of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Educational Psychology. His research focuses on educational research methodology, statistical analysis, and students' learning strategies and study skills.

In addition to Kratochwill and Levin, instructors include John Ferron (University of South Florida), Larry Hedges (Northwestern University), Robert Horner (University of Oregon), and David Rindskopf (City University of New York Graduate School).

Applications are due on March 11, 2011. Approximately 30 participants will be selected from the applicant pool. For more details on eligibility and the application process, please visit http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/whatsnew/conferences/srtitraining2011.asp.