Broadening Our Horizons: Toward a Plurality of Methodologies in Learning Disability Research

Abstract

This article serves as an introduction to a special double issue of the Learning Disability Quarterly that seeks to engage the field in a respectful exchange about the need to expand research methodologies. In this article, we identify three interrelated concepts of interest to researchers in the field of learning disabilities (LD) — learning, disability, and research — and examine how the cultural location(s) of each serve(s) to influence decisions about and possibilities for researching learning disabilities. Subsequently, we urge greater use of a plurality of methods than is reflected in traditional LD research, sharing examples of what knowledge is currently lost, minimized, disregarded, or omitted, while articulating examples of what could be gained. Finally, by relating research on LD to schools, classroom life, and individuals identified as having learning disabilities, we advocate for more responsive research and a greater acceptance of epistemic reflexivity within the LD research community.