The history of methodology in educational research has been dominated by a quantitative orientation. It is only recently that the trend has shifted to a qualitative perspective. Despite the continuance of ”either/or” debate, combination of the two kinds of methods sheds eight to an alternative perspective in examining educational studies.The following issues are discussed in this article 1) the characteristics of quantitative and qualitative approaches; 2) the shift from quantitative-qualitative debate to a combination of both; 3) the functions and models of quantitative-qualitative combination in research design; 4) analysis of research designs in the field of special education with regard to the implementation of a quantitative-qualitative combination method; 5) pratical implication for further studies in special education.