Affiliations: Kent State University, Department of Educational
Foundations and Special Services, Center for Disability Studies, 405 White
Hall, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA. Tel.: +1 330 672 0579; Fax: +1
330 672 2512; E-mail: bcook1@kent.edu
Note: [] Corresponding author
Abstract: Researchers in rehabilitation counseling and disability studies
sometimes use analogue research, which involves materials that approximate or
describe reality (e.g., written vignettes, videotaped exemplars) rather than
investigating phenomena in real-world settings. Analogue research often
utilizes experimental designs, and it thereby frequently possesses a high
degree of internal validity. Analogue research allows investigators to exercise
tight control over the implementation of the independent or treatment variable
and over potentially confounding variables, which enables them to isolate the
effects of those treatment variables on selected outcome measures. However, the
simulated nature of analogue research presents an important threat to external
validity. As such, the generalizability of analogue research to real-life
settings and situations may be problematic. These and other issues germane to
analogue research in vocational rehabilitation are discussed in this article,
illustrated with examples from the contemporary literature.
