Trends in school psychology research: 1974–1980

Abstract Research articles appearing in five major journals from 1974 to 1980 were categorized in 1 of 16 categories as determined by the major theme of the paper. A chi-square analysis was used to determine whether years differed in relative distribution of observations across the categories. Spearman's rho correlation coefficients were calculated for the rank order of categories between each pair of years, allowing for comparison of the current data with O'Callaghan's (1974) data. Results indicate a significant change in content of articles published over the 7-year period. Articles concerning instrument development and validation account for the relatively largest percentage of total articles published in the 1974–1980 period and have continued to increase since the 1967–1973 period examined by O'Callaghan. Schools and agencies primarily contributing to this research are identified across the 7-year time span. Results are discussed in terms of the professional literature's potential reflection of the role of the school psychologist.