Introductory Texts in Special Education: an Analysis of Citations

Abstract

The importance of introductory texts in special education is certainly attested to by the number of these volumes. Ten introductory special education texts published since 1980 were reviewed to determine the recency of the information contained in each through an analysis of the citations. Analysis was accomplished by determining the frequency of reference for a 10-year period in each handicapping category across all the texts. Several conclusions were drawn in regard to: edited works with multiple authors versus unedited single and multi-authored texts; the number of reference citations used; and the emphasis placed on specific areas of disability in terms of topical coverage. The number of references in a given time period may suggest the attention given historical antecedents, references to classic identifiers, and the amount of current material reported in each book. An overall rating was not made on the quality of the texts or chapters, nor was the citation date (nor should it be) used as a means of judging the value of one over another. However, findings do suggest that certain books do seemingly draw more heavily from selected bibliography than others, obviously so. The precise content and quality of writing are yet other variables requiring further research—or in the case of a textbook adoption, a reasonable judgment call.