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RESEARCH IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING provides the basics that one would need to begin conducting a research investigation. It was written as a primary text for graduate level students and practitioners concerning the role of research in contemporary rehabilitation counseling. It is the authorsf intent to provide a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, ethical, methodological, and analytic fundamentals of social science research, as well as to specify aspects of rehabilitation research that distinguish it from scientific inquiry in other helping professions. It has been thoroughly revised to accurately reflect the variation and wealth of research methodologies used in contemporary rehabilitation counseling research—more than 300 new references have been added. Most of the research examples cited were published in peer-reviewed rehabilitation counseling journals over the past decade, and these examples represent the current status of research methods as well as the most relevant contemporary topic areas of research and scholarship in the field. Accordingly, it may be used both as a research textbook and as a general introduction to the current scholarship. Because this book was written as an introductory research methods textbook for graduate students in rehabilitation counseling, the authors focus much of the information contained herein on the role of readers as professional consumers of rehabilitation research. It will prove to be an invaluable resource for counselors, administrators, policymakers, educators, researchers, people with disabilities, and consumer advocates.

The goal of this second edition is to provide a comprehensive overview of the philosophical, ethical, methodological, and analytical fundamentals of social science and educational research, as well as specify aspects of special education research that distinguish it from scientific inquiry in other fields of education and human services. Foremost among these distinctions are the research beneficiaries: children with disabilities, their parents, and special educators; the availability of federal funds for research and demonstration projects that seek to improve educational outcomes for children with disabilities; and the historical, philosophical, and legislative bases for the profession of special education. This new edition represents a revision of over 40 percent of the text, with all chapters thoroughly updated with new developments in research topics, designs, and methods that have emerged over the past decade in the field of special education. Also presented is considerable text related to evidence-based practice and quality indicators for special education research in a design-specific context. In offering a broad-based examination of the role of scientific inquiry in contemporary special education, this new edition serves as a text and resource guide for graduate-level students, practitioners, and teachers in the fields of special education, disability studies, early intervention, school psychology, and child and family services. Further, the book aims to not only orient the student or practitioner to the fundamentals of research design, but also introduce him or her to the professional literature in this dynamic field.

This second edition represents the thorough revision necessary to accurately reflect the variation and wealth of research methodologies used in contemporary rehabilitation counseling research. As with the previous edition, this new second edition is divided into ten chapters. Chapter 1 establishes the theoretical underpinnings of social scientific inquiry, provides a foundation in the philosophical, epistemological, and methodological considerations related to the design and execution of rehabilitation research, and discusses the broad purposes of research. Chapter 2 addresses the issues that are preparatory to designing and evaluating this research, the sources of research ideas, and translating these ideas into research hypothesis, identifying variables, and sampling issues. Chapter 3 discusses key measurement and statistical concepts used in the quantitative research tradition, including reliability and validity of measurements instruments, the purposes of descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing numeric data, and provides an expanded section on methods of statistical analysis. Chapters 4 and 5 reviews ethical issues and guidelines for the design, implementation, and reporting of rehabilitation research, drawing valid inferences from results, and generalizing findings from the research sample to the target population. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 review the wide range of different quantitative, qualitative, and integrative approaches to doing rehabilitation research, and provides examples from the recent rehabilitation literature. Other topics include the intervention/stimulus relationship, descriptive studies in the quantitative paradigm, and qualitative methods of rehabilitation research. Chapter 9 presents a published research article section by section, annotates the components and composition of a research report, and provides a protocol that students and practitioners can use to evaluate the technical soundness and scientific merits of published research articles. The concluding chapter addresses future trends in rehabilitation counseling research in relation to fruitful topic areas and methodologies as they apply to counselors, administrators, policymakers, educators, researchers, people with disabilities, and consumer advocates. This book provides the “basics” that one would need to begin conducting a research investigation.

Emerging Issues in Rehabilitation Counseling was written for use by practicing rehabilitation counselors, administrators, and educators. Chapter topics address new developments in the field of rehabilitation education and analysis of vocational rehabilitation, with discussion on the order of selection mandate in the Rehabilitation Act. Life care planning is presented as an intervention for people with catastrophic disabilities. Client assessment strategies, the Americans with Disabilities Act, job development and placement, and provision of post-employment services are offered as options to enable persons with disabilities to advance in their careers. The authors examine the use of disability management programs to coordinate the interaction between worker and workplace to minimize the effect of the disability on a worker's capacity to function. These programs include wellness programs, safety awareness, injury/illness prevention training, and employee assistance programs. The final chapter addresses these and other challenges that vocational rehabilitation specialists will likely face in the future, such as changes in occupational information, disability management, and managed care.