The Relation between the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Special Education Research: A Systematic Review.

Because the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) delineates much of the substantive and procedural dimensions of special education practice, it seems logical that IDEA should be an integral part of special education research. Yet, to what extent do special education researchers discuss IDEA? In this study, we systematically reviewed every article published in a 10-year time frame in three special education journals (N = 887). Only 23.1% of the articles had explicit implications for IDEA. Most implications were tied to the compliance of IDEA as opposed to how IDEA could be improved. The disconnect between research and law has significant implications for research, policy, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]