Information Analyses; Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
This examination of the topic of research in educational technology addresses four major areas: (1) why research is conducted in this area and the characteristics of that research; (2) the types of research questions that should or should not be addressed; (3) the most appropriate methodologies for finding answers to research questions; and (4) the characteristics of a research report that make it "good" and ultimately suitable for publication. The most important type of research for educational technologists to conduct is that which solves practical problems for contexts in which the complexity of the real world has not been controlled as it is in experimental research. Three aspects of this kind of research need to be considered: the development and validation of procedures for conducting decision-oriented research, methods of studying complex systems without having to dismember them, and the need to treat instructional development projects very seriously as case studies. Whatever methodology is used to conduct research, it must be applied with discipline and rigor. Given the eclectic nature of research questions in the discipline, a whole battery of methods--both qualitative and quantitative--should be used for investigation. Future trends in methodology in educational technology will follow the trends of educational research in general, i.e., more non-experimental studies will be conducted. Suggestions for successful publication of research efforts and a list of references complete the document. (JB)
Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications Technology (Las Vegas, NV, January 16-21, 1986). For the entire proceedings, see IR 012 121.
AECT Research and Theory Division Meeting; Learner Control; Prescriptive Research