This article is part of a special LDRP research-to-practice series introducing key concepts to enable special education practitioners and other nonresearchers to be more informed research consumers. In the article, we explore how social validity is assessed in special education research and how to interpret social validity assessments. Rather than…

In this secondary analysis of a previously conducted systematic review, we analyze social validity assessments in intervention research for transition-age autistic youth. Social validity is concerned with the acceptability of the intervention goals, the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention procedures, and the perceived importance of…

Selection and implementation of evidence-based reading interventions is a complex process that requires careful consideration of factors such as intervention effectiveness and social validity. Social validity refers to how key stakeholders, including teachers, students, and parents, perceive the goals, methods, and outcomes of an intervention.…

Though previously unacknowledged, a SMART (Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial) design uses both regression discontinuity (RD) and randomized controlled trial (RCT) designs. This combination structure creates a conceptual symbiosis between the two designs that enables both RCT- and previously unrecognized, RD-based inferential claims.…

The social validity of autism behavioral intervention has been questioned. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) attempt to address some concerns, but it is unclear whether autistic people consider NDBIs socially valid. Social validity of an NDBI, Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), was investigated through autistic adults…

A mixed methods randomized control trial (RCT) was employed to investigate the social validity ratings (i.e., acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility) of middle-school students using an innovative program of virtual social scenarios called VOISS (Virtual reality (VR) Opportunities to Integrate Social Skills) compared to an evidence-based,…

Active learning is a popular approach to teaching and learning that has gained traction through research on STEM educational improvement. There have been numerous university- and national/international-level efforts focused on transitioning courses from the lecture method to active learning. However, despite these large-scale changes, the active…

Introduction: The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews rigorous research on educational interventions with a goal of identifying "what works" and making that information accessible to educators and policymakers. In rating the quality of causal research, the WWC has historically prioritized internal validity over external validity. One…

High-quality single-case design research should include measures that assess the social significance of intervention goals, the social importance of intervention outcomes, and the acceptability and feasibility of procedures. We conducted a systematic review to examine the inclusion and use of social validity metrics in academic and behavioral…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently leading an industrial revolution in most aspects of human life, and education is no exception. With the increasing ratio of students to faculty, AI could be an extremely beneficial tool for individual mentoring; for example, for cases of dropout and for student retention. While many models have already…

There is a strong need for school psychologists to have knowledge of interventions to support students' behavior and promote positive student-teacher relationships. The 2 × 10 intervention is an efficient strategy that shares features of other validated interventions but has not been extensively studied. This paper presents the results of two…

Research shows that schools struggle with conducting high quality functional behavior assessments (FBA) and implementing effective behavior intervention plans (BIP). Access to training is a documented challenge to effective implementation. One training with preliminary empirical support is Basic FBA. This pilot study extended the research on Basic…

For the last 40 years, special education and applied behavior analysis researchers have discussed the notion of social validity, particularly those researchers who conduct single-case research. A substantial part of this discussion has involved critiquing the rigor of methods used to assess social validity. We conducted a scoping literature review…

Many in the autistic community have expressed concerns regarding the use of behavioral interventions with autistic children, suggesting that these interventions may not be socially valid. Though behavioral interventions have evolved to be more naturalistic and child-centered, little structured research has been done to explicitly seek autistic…

Social validity in the field of applied behaviour analysis is the measurement of the social significance of goals, the social appropriateness of procedures, and the social importance of the effects of a treatment. There is a paucity of rigorous research on social validity measurement as it relates to feeding treatment. To our knowledge, this is…