The impact of educational technology: a radical reappraisal of research methods

The practical problem which motivates this paper is that of deciding - on the basis of published research - whether to adopt some new device, procedure or paradigm thought likely to improve education. What models, methods or media are likely to be most useful? From the invention of the printing pres...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: P. David Mitchell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association for Learning Technology 1997-12-01
Series:Research in Learning Technology
Online Access:http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/10551
Description
Summary:The practical problem which motivates this paper is that of deciding - on the basis of published research - whether to adopt some new device, procedure or paradigm thought likely to improve education. What models, methods or media are likely to be most useful? From the invention of the printing press to multimedia software, educators have adopted unproven aids and fads. Researchers usually claim each new device or procedure to be at least as effective as its predecessor. How valid is all this research? How to decide? A typical view is: Design an experiment to observe the effects of your treatment. Any book on research design and statistics will show you how. But will it? What essential aspects of educational measurement and research must we consider?
ISSN:2156-7069
2156-7077