Qualitative Studies in Special Education‪.‬

Qualitative research in the social sciences has risen to prominence in recent years. Although there may be an impression that qualitative research is new to special education, its history can be traced back almost two centuries. Certainly, at present, the qualitative studies genre is broad, complex, and growing; hence, settling on one definition is difficult. A definition that we believe is flexible enough to be inclusive is that qualitative research is a systematic approach to under standing qualities, or the essential nature, of a phenomenon within a particular context. We begin with the assertion that qualitative designs do produce science-based evidence that can inform policy and practice in special education, and we further claim that, similar to the other research genres covered in this special issue of Exceptional Children, qualitative research involves * Empiricism--knowledge derived from sense experience and/or careful observation.