VIDBE-Q Volume 66, Issue 2
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visual impairments and deafblindness. In addition, please see Figures 1 and 2 for
checklists to assist with reviewing and interpreting literature.
Practice Pieces vs. Empirical Studies
The intent of a practitioner piece differs from that of original research. Even
though practice pieces may include research that supports a given intervention as
evidence-based, the chief aim of such articles is to describe the implementation of
a particular intervention or strategy (e.g., a tool for collaboration between service
providers or a math strategy for students with visual impairments). Conversely,
original research involves using primary or secondary data analysis to produce new
knowledge in the form of a novel work (Dunfon, 2005). Researchers may choose
to gather and analyze their own data, or perform a new analysis on data collected
previously by others. Research articles can employ group designs (i.e., control
group and intervention group) or single-case designs (i.e., studies with small
participant pools which use each participant as their own control) and represent
one of the best means for educators to identify and evaluate evidence-based
practices (Dunfon, 2005). Understanding articles that seek to disseminate research
findings depends upon an awareness of the types of research methodologies, their
purposes, and their applications.
