Survey to Help Determine An Agenda for Research in Educational Technology Research Committee for ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) MD Roblyer, Florida A&M University Bernard R Robin, University of Houston Richard Alan Smith, Houston Independent School District In recent years, research on technology use in education to improve student achievement/attitudes has come under fire from researchers such as USC's Dr. Richard Clark, who hold the view that no instructional medium or technology resource has any unique ability in and of itself to raise achievement or improve student attitudes. Dr. Clark and others say that results of past studies serve to support their position that factors OTHER THAN technology uses (e. g., the teacher's actions) are the deciding factors in whether or not any instructional activity will be effective. They also hold that no technology resource makes contributions that could not be made in some other, cheaper (e. g., non-technology) way. In light of growing support for this position and increasing criticism of current research methods, the ISTE Research Committee has developed the following survey to gather data from technology users in the field on what topics and methods they perceive should be addressed in future research. This survey has four parts: A.Information on persons completing the survey B. Reactions to a question on the usefulness of research C. Areas that future research should address D. Research methods that should be emphasized PART A - Please provide the following information about yourself: 1.Position: K-12 educator, higher ed. educator, administrator, student, other Position:___________________________________________ 2.Primary area of content expertise: technology, sciences, math, English/language arts, foreign language, social sciences, other Area of Expertise:_________________________________________ 3.Technology experience: Less than a year, 1-5 years, 5-10 years, more than 10 years Experience:_________________________________________ PART B - Please check YES or NO to the following position: RESEARCH TO DETERMINE IF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OR ATTITUDES IS A WORTHWHILE ACTIVITY ON WHICH TO SPEND OUR TIME AND MONEY. Your comments will be analyzed qualitatively and results will be included in the final research report. YES__________ NO__________ If you checked YES on the question in PART B, please answer PARTS C and D, as well. PART C - What kinds of questions are most important to address with research studies? Tell how important you think each of the following topic areas is by answering with a rating from 1 to 3. Give any comments you wish in addition to these numerical answers: 1 = Top priority topic 2 = Medium priority topic 3 = Low priority priority topic Research Area 1 - In projects that have used instructional technology and have been successful in raising student ACHIEVEMENT, is the instructional technology application the most important factor in the success? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 2 - In projects that have used instructional technology and have been successful in improving student ATTITUDES, is the instructional technology the most important factor in the success? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 3 - In projects that have used instructional technology and have been successful in raising student achievement or improving attitudes, what specific COMBINATION of factors was responsible? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 4 - Does a given technology-based method have greater success than a non-technology one with a certain target population (e. g., learning disabled, low-achievers, males vs. females)? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 5 - Do certain technology-based methods make possible learning gains or changes in attitudes that could not be done any other (cheaper) way? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 6 - What factors are currently interfering with good technology use in schools? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 7 - How are teachers currently using various technologies (e. g., computers, networks, multimedia) in classrooms? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 8 - Why are some teachers choosing to use technology? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 9 - In what ways is technology helping teachers carry out their jobs? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 10 - What role(s) can use of technology play in students' intellectual growth? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 11 - How is technology being used in schools and classrooms whose goal is restructuring of traditional activities? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 12 - In schools where technology has been used extensively, what has been the impact on learning and other activities in which students engage? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 13 - Do school personnel perceive that technology has caused change? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 14 - Which kinds of instructional uses of technology typically seem to be associated with the greatest LEARNING GAINS: systematic, teacher-directed ones or constructivist, student-directed ones? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 15 - Which kinds of instructional uses of technology typically seem to be associated with the greatest CHANGES IN STUDENT ATTITUDES: systematic, teacher-directed ones or constructivist, student-directed ones? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Research Area 16 - What factors enable a successful project in which technology was used to be replicated in another school or classroom? 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ Part D - Which research methods should we be emphasizing in future research? Tell how important you think the method is by answering with a number from 1 to 3. Give any comments you wish in addition to these numerical answers: 1 = Top priority method 2 = Medium priority method 3 = Low priority method 1. Experimental and quasi-experimental methods to isolate the unique contributions of technology applications 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ 2. Experimental and quasi-experimental methods to identify combinations of factors that bring about learning gains or attitude changes 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ 3. Analyses of case studies to determine the impact of technology uses 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ 4. Reviews of research to summarize results across studies on factors of interest 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ 5. Surveys of technology users to see how people are employing technology resources 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ 6. Surveys of teachers' and others perceptions on trends, issues, and most effective practices 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ 7. Cost effectiveness studies that are designed to determine how to obtain the greatest achievement gains in a certain area, within a given budget, and for the largest number of students. 1_____ 2_____ 3_____ Comments:_________________________________________ THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! Once the survey has been completed, please return it via e-mail to: brobin@uh.edu or via regular mail to: Bernard Robin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology Department of Curriculum and Instruction University of Houston 4800 Calhoun Street Houston, TX 77204-5872 .