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Ten Years of Research: A Systematic Review of Three Refereed LD Journals
Author(s) -
McFarland Laura,
Williams Jacob,
Miciak Jeremy
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
learning disabilities research and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.018
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1540-5826
pISSN - 0938-8982
DOI - 10.1111/ldrp.12007
Subject(s) - inclusion (mineral) , learning disability , psychology , literacy , empirical research , educational research , medical education , population , special education , intervention (counseling) , sample (material) , gerontology , social science , pedagogy , medicine , developmental psychology , sociology , social psychology , demography , psychiatry , philosophy , chemistry , epistemology , chromatography
Content analyses of journals in the field of LD provide a means of surveying research and publication trends, the knowledge of which may inform policy and practice related to future research agendas. As the first decade of the current millennium was particularly contentious for the field of LD, we felt that a content review would be timely. In this paper, the content of three refereed LD journals— Journal of Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, and Learning Disabilities Quarterly —was analyzed. Articles from 2001–2010 (n = 841) were systematically coded to capture article type, area of interest, population of interest, sample characteristics, and inclusion of students with LD. Results indicate that across the decade, (a) 68% of articles reported empirical research; (b) empirical research trended up; (c) publication of intervention research remained steady; (d) the most common foci were literacy and the non‐academic characteristics of individuals with LD; and (e) inclusion of participants labeled as having a LD declined. We discuss trends, possible explanations, and implications, highlighting areas for future research.