ABSTRACT
The past 20 years have seen a great deal of activity in special education research, both in the United Kingdom and abroad. This chapter presents an overview of this research, focusing principally though not exclusively on British research. Given the volume and range of research activity, it is not possible to be exhaustive. What is offered is an account of research reviews of the field, followed by a discussion of the changing conceptual, legislative and policy contexts within which special education research has been conducted. To illustrate the diversity of the field, three research topics within it – integration, specific learning difficulties and further education – are outlined. Finally, some challenges for future research agendas are considered.
