Education Leaders’ Perspectives on Special Education Research: A Priority Setting Study

Abstract

Research priority setting, an element of knowledge mobilization, makes knowledge users integral to the development of research agendas. To date, the use of research priority setting in educational research has been minimal. The purpose of this study was to explore educational leaders’ perspectives on research priorities in special education. We conducted a cross-sectional research priority setting survey with educational leaders from 60 public school districts in British Columbia, Canada. Seventy-one participants completed the survey. Results of a pre-set list of questions indicated that the top three research priorities were: grade-to-grade transitions, high school graduation, and time to designation. In terms of designation, or student categorization, participants were most interested in “Intensive Behaviour Interventions/Severe Mental Illness.” When asked about other priorities, participants identified research on types of support/interventions. These results have implications for developing a research agenda that can support informed decision-making around policy-development and programming for students with special needs.