Experimental research in school psychology internationally: An assessment of journal publications and implications for internationalization

Past studies have examined the contents of journal articles in school psychology, and more recently there has been increased interest in examining the frequency and characteristics of experimental studies appearing in school psychology journals. However, no prior studies have examined the international representation of experimental and intervention studies. This study evaluated every article published from 2002 to 2016 across eight school psychology journals that publish international scholarship. Several research questions were addressed (e.g., what is the frequency of experimental research internationally, what are the characteristics of those studies, and is the scholarship consistent with the global geography of school psychology?). Overall, findings revealed that although the field of school psychology is arguably international, the experimental research reflected in the eight journals selected for review does not adequately represent the global geography of the field, thereby also suggesting that the degree of internationalization in school psychology is relatively poor. The importance of these and related findings is discussed, and recommendations are provided that may help to improve the geographical representation of experimental research in school psychology as well as its overall internationalization.