Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Psychology (Ph.D.)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Mark D Terjesen

Second Advisor

Imad Zaheer

Third Advisor

Zheng Zhou

Abstract

Single-case design methodology has been recognized as a practical approach for evaluating interventions in school-based settings (Burns, 2014; Troyer, 2022). However, research regarding the prevalence of single-case designs in examining evidence-based interventions in school settings remains limited (Nock et al., 2008; Radley et al., 2020). This information is valuable given that schools are the largest provider of mental health services for youth (Camhi, 2014; Flood & Joseph, 2023) and school psychologists examine research from a variety of domains when considering treatment plans (Volpe et al., 2022). This study addressed this gap in the literature by looking at the distribution of single-case versus group-based outcome research in school settings across five clinical psychology journals from 1982 through 2023. Graduate students were trained to code studies according to evaluation criteria including presenting problem, age range of the sample, intervention setting and type, research design, and single-case design type. The results indicated that only 8.2% of the 3,705 identified outcome studies were single-case designs, and the usage of the methodology has declined over time. Further, only 4.5% of the studies were conducted within school settings. These findings highlight ongoing barriers to the acceptance of single-case design methodology in clinical psychology research, as well as the need for increased training and advocacy to expand its application in school-based intervention studies. The limitations of this investigation are discussed, as well as opportunities for future research directions. Additionally, the implications for school psychologists and graduate training programs are highlighted.

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