Co-Principal Investigator: Joel Levin

Unsolicited Standards and Assessment Development Grant

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to review the current state of single-case research design and data analysis as applied to educational intervention research. The review will culminate in recommendations to single-case researchers to adopt more scientifically rigorous experimental designs and statistical analyses, thereby enhancing the validity of the researchers' conclusions. In addition, the researchers will consider methods for synthesizing the research literature from single-case research designs, including traditional literature reviews, meta-analyses, and effect-size estimates.

Project Activities: The project work will be conducted in following research domains:

1. Research Design Types. The work in this area will illustrate how randomization can be incorporated into designs to improve the quality of research that involves single-case design;
2. Data Analysis. This domain focuses on visual analysis of single subject designs, and will result in a comprehensive list of graphical aids that can be used to complement and improve the rigor of visual analysis.
3. Statistical Strategies. This domain will explore statistical strategies that can be applied to single-case research data;
4. Literature Summary that builds upon the previous three phases by demonstrating analytic methods that can be used to summarize findings across studies including a set of "best practices" guidelines for conducting single-case research.

Products: The products from this project will include a set of "best practices" guidelines and prescriptions for developing randomized single-case designs, performing visual and statistical analyses of data, and conducting literature reviews and quantitative syntheses of single-case research. The project directors will also host a summative conference that will bring together methodologists and intervention researchers to discuss contemporary issues and promising new directions in single-case research.

Products and Publications

Book

Kratochwill, T.R., and Levin, J.R. (2014). Single-Case Intervention Research: Methodological and Data-Analysis Advances. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Book chapter

Ferron, J.M., and Levin, J.R. (2014). Single-Case Permutation and Randomization Statistical Tests: Present Status, Promising New Developments. In T.R. Kratochwill, and J.R. Levin (Eds.), Single-Case Intervention Research: Methodological and Data-Analysis Advances (pp. 153–183). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14376–006

Kratochwill, T.R., Levin, J.R., Horner, R.H., and Swoboda, C.M. (2014). Visual Analysis of Single-Case Intervention Research: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations. In T.R. Kratochwill, and J.R. Levin (Eds.), Single-Case Intervention Research: Methodological and Data-Analysis Advances. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Levin, J.R., Evmenova, A.S., and Gafurov, B.S. (2014). The Single-Case Data-Analysis ExPRT (Excel Package of Randomization Tests). In T.R. Kratochwill, and J.R. Levin (Eds.), Single-Case Intervention Research: Methodological and Data-Analysis Advances. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Journal article, monograph, or newsletter

Hitchcock, J. H., Horner, R. H., Kratochwill, T. R., Levin, J. R., Odom, S. L., Rindskopf, D. M., and Shadish, W. R. (2014). The What Works Clearinghouse Single-Case Design Pilot Standards: Who Will Guard the Guards?. Remedial and Special Education, 35(3): 145–152. doi:10.1177/0741932513518979 Full text

Kratochwill, T.R., and Levin, J.R. (2010). Enhancing the Scientific Credibility of Single-Case Intervention Research: Randomization to the Rescue. Psychological Methods, 15(2): 122–144. doi:10.1037/a0017736

Kratochwill, T.R., Hitchcock, J.H., Horner, R.H., Levin, J.R., Odom, S.L., Rindskopf, D.M., and Shadish, W.R. (2013). Single-Case Intervention Research Design Standards. Remedial and Special Education, 34(1): 26–38. doi:10.1177/0741932512452794

Lall, V.F., and Levin, J.R. (2004). An Empirical Investigation of the Statistical Properties of Generalized Single-Case Randomization Tests. Journal of School Psychology, 42(1): 61–86. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2003.11.002

Levin, J.R., Ferron, J.M., and Kratochwill, T.R. (2012). Nonparametric Statistical Tests for Single-Case Systematic and Randomized ABAB..AB and Alternating Treatment Intervention Designs: New Developments, New Directions. Journal of School Psychology, 50(5): 599–624. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2012.05.001

Levin, J.R., Lall, V.F., and Kratochwill, T.R. (2011). Extensions of a Versatile Randomization Test for Assessing Single-Case Intervention Effects. Journal of School Psychology, 49(1): 55–79. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2010.09.002

Nongovernment report, issue brief, or practice guide

Gafurov, B. S.,; Levin, J.R. ExPRT (Excel? Package of Randomization Tests): Statistical Analyses of Single-Case Intervention Data (Version 1.0, January 2013); current Version 2.0 (April 2016) is retrievable from the ExPRT website at http:/ex-prt.weebly.com

Swoboda, C., Kratochwill, T., Horner, R., Levin, J., and Albin, R. (2012). Visual Analysis Training Protocol: Applications with the Alternating Treatment, Multiple Baseline, and ABAB Designs.

Swoboda, C., Kratochwill, T.R., and Levin, J.R. (2009). Conservative Dual-Criterion (CDC) Method for Single-Case Research. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.