School Psychology Research and Scholarship

Abstract

This study addresses twin questions regarding research in school psychology: ‘What kinds of research are being done?’ and ‘What kinds are most needed?’. To address the first question, we coded all of the articles published from 1994–1998 in the main USA school psychology journals and in School Psychology International into one of 18 categories of research topics. Assessment-related topics and research on clinical/personality issues dominated the USA literature, while clinical/personality and professional issues were the most common types of research reported in SPI. To address the second question, we surveyed 98 randomly-selected USA school-based practitioners and 44 leading journal article authors regarding their perceptions of needed research in school psychology. Authors and practitioners were in close agreement as to priorities for future research, emphasizing the need for research in the areas of prevention and therapeutic interventions, among other topic areas. Priorities were very similar to those identified in a similar survey over 15 years ago (Strein, 1987). By contrast, journal contents have not changed much in 20 years and continue to be discordant with the priorities articulated by both the authors and practitioners.