`Throughout the book general points are given a concrete illustration by reference to specific examples of special education research. The breadth of reference is a strength of the text, with a bias towards work on deafness and hearing impairment, in which Mertens has a particular interest. Wherever such illustrations are offered, the book comes alive.... there are few sources for a wide range of short accounts of examples of the practice of research in special education. This short book is a convenient and well-organized addition to them' - Division of Educational and Child Psychology Newsletter

This book explores ways to adapt research methods from other disciplines to the special education context and provides the reader with a framework for critically analyzing and conducting research in areas where people with disabilities live, learn and work.

Identifying people with disabilities as heterogenous cultural groups, and including such disabilities as blindness, learning difficulties and deafness, the authors discuss the implications for planning, conducting and writing research. Topics examined include: the development of research questions; identification of special education populations; sampling issues; appropriate quantitative and qualitative techniques; interpretation issues in data analysis; and directions for future research such as early intervention and school-linked services.