ITFORUM POLL #2
Instructional Technology Research
June 1 - June 15, 2000

Basic Belief About Research

In simple terms, a Positivist believes in "reality" - that there are universal and immutable laws - including "laws" of human behavior and learning - and that these laws can be uncovered over time through diligent, well-designed research. A Constructivist believes in "relativism" - that there is no universal reality - that "truth" is constructed on an individual or group basis and "reality" changes from place to place and time to time - therefore, the purpose of research is not to uncover "truths" but to seek out and try to understand different situations and viewpoints.  (0 = Strongly Positivist    5 = Neutral   10 = Strongly Constructivist)
 
Rating
 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
# of Responses
4
4
4
13
8
12
8
23
33
19
12
  AVG =  6.5 

Instructional Technology Research Methodologies

Thinking specifically about research in the field of Instructional Technology, which of the following statements best expresses how you feel about qualitative and quantitative research methodologies?
 

 
Strong
Quantitative
Quantitative
Both
Qualitative
Strong
Qualitative
# of Responses
1
10
90
39
3

Thinking specifically about research in the field of Instructional Technology, which of the following statements best expresses how you feel about applied and basic research?
 

 
Strong
Applied
Applied
Both
Basic
Strong
Basic
# of Responses
15
65
56
5
1


Kinds of Instructional Technology Research Studies

Kinds of studies and their definitions used in this section are taken from:
Thompson, A.D., Simonson, M.R., & Hargrave, C.R. (1996). Educational technology: A review of the research (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Association for Educational Communications and Technology

Evaluation Studies
Please rate the value of evaluation studies to the field of Instructional Technology:

(0 = No Value   5 = Neutral  10 = High Value)
Rating
 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
# of Responses
2
1
4
8
5
8
6
12
29
31
37
  AVG. = 7.6

Media Comparison Studies  -
Please rate the value of media comparison studies to the field of Instructional Technology:

(0 = No Value   5 = Neutral  10 = High Value)
Rating
 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
# of Responses
9
11
24
16
6
15
10
15
13
11
13
  AVG. = 4.8 

Intra-Medium Studies
Please rate the value of intra-medium studies to the field of Instructional Technology:

(0 = No Value   5 = Neutral  10 = High Value)
Rating
 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
# of Responses
2
0
1
1
3
6
7
16
25
26
56
  AVG. = 8.3 

Aptitude Treatment Interaction Studies
Please rate the value of aptitude treatment interaction studies to the field of Instructional Technology:

(0 = No Value   5 = Neutral  10 = High Value)
Rating
 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
# of Responses
2
1
3
2
3
16
9
27
35
19
26
  AVG. = 7.4

OVERALL OPINION

On the whole, how would you describe the quality of instructional technology research being reported today?
 

 
Very
High
High
Average / 
Inconsistant
Low
Very 
Low
# of Responses
0
32
92
13
3



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