Reporting Quality of Single‐Case Research Published in Learning Disabilities Journals

Abstract

Single‐case research designs are useful for learning disability researchers interested in refining novel interventions (e.g., new mathematics intervention) before scaling, small n populations (e.g., students with comorbid learning and emotional and behavioral disabilities), and testing unique conditions (e.g., remote locales). Much attention has been devoted to developing research quality standards, which is essential for replication and implementation fidelity; however, little is known about the reporting quality of single‐case design studies. To gain insight into the quality of learning disability single‐case research design study reporting, we analyzed 72 articles published between 2010 and 2021 in six learning disability‐focused journals using the Single‐Case Reporting Guideline In BEhavioral interventions (SCRIBE) standards. Findings suggest that reporting quality has remained stagnant, and none of the studies reviewed met all of the reporting standards. Alignment with standards ranged from 33% to 77%. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

A review of counseling research using single‐case research design

“…JARS does include reporting standards for SCRDs (viz., N-of-1 studies), yet Tate et al (2016) developed more comprehensive reporting standards through a Delphi process. Given the SCRIBE standards were developed with expert input and have been used to evaluate SCRD reporting in special education (Hott, Flores, et al, 2023;Hott, Heiniger, et al, 2023), we selected these over the JARS guidelines (American Psychological Association (APA), 2020a, 2020b).…”