Peggy Roblyer, Florida A and M University 

Title: Reviewing Recent Reviews of Technology's Impact on
Learning 

The importance of determining technology's impact on improving
the quality of education is attested to by the sheer number of
literature reviews in this area. Both educators and those who
fund them continue to be intensely interested in obtaining
concrete evidence that investments in hardware and software
result in improvements to key indicators of education's success
(e. g., achievement, dropout rate, student attitudes toward
learning). Roblyer, Castine, and King summarized past reviews
and did a comprehensive review and meta-analysis of their own
in a 1988 book. They concluded that some areas of technology
use seemed to yield higher effects than others, but that it was
difficult to arrive at any but the most tentative conclusions
due to the dearth of consistent lines of high quality research. 

Attempts to use statistical methods such as meta-analysis to
summarize results across studies comparing computer-based and
traditional methods became popular in the 1980's, but then fell
under criticism (Thompson, Simonson, and Hargrave, 1992). Clark
(1983, 1985) has been the most vocal critic of computer-based
effectiveness research. After empirical and statistical
analyses of reviews of research in this area, he concluded that
most such studies suffer from confounding variables. That is,
they attempt to show one method has a greater impact on
achievement than the other without controlling for other
factors such as instructional method, curriculum content, or
novelty that could either increase or decrease achievement.
Pointing out that the entire research paradigm was flawed,
Clark (1985) exhorted educators to avoid rationalizing computer
purchases by referencing the achievement gains (p. 259) in such
studies. 

Kosma (1991) responded to these challenges by proposing that
research should look at technology in a different way: not as a
medium to deliver information but in the context of the learner
actively collaborating with the medium to construct knowledge
(p. 179). Thompson, Simonson, and Hargrave (1992) agreed that
past research that focused on computers as delivery systems had
not been useful; both they and Kosma proposed new models in the
continuing search for a research base that can justify the
expense an d logistical difficulties of using technology in
education. 

At the time of the Roblyer et al., review, most research on
effectiveness still seemed focused on the "traditional vs.
technology methods" paradigm. This part of the panel will
review the reviews subsequent to 1988 to determine whether or
not Clark's criticisms and Kosma's recommendations have had any
substantial impact on the way research on effectiveness is
being carried out and, if so, what kinds of conclusions are
being reached. 

References

Clark, R. (1983). Reconsidering research on learning from
media. Review of Educational Research, 53 (4), 445-459.

Clark, R. (1985). Evidence for confounding in computer-based
instruction studies: Analyzing the meta-analyses. Educational
Communications and Technology Journal, 33 (4), 249-262.

Kosma, R. (1991). Learning with media. Review of Educational
Research, 61 (2), 179-211.

Roblyer, M. D., Castine, W. H., and King, FJ. (1988). Assessing
the Impact of Computer-based Instruction: A review of recent
research. New York: The Haworth Press.

Thompson, A., Simonson, M. and Hargarve, C. (1992). Educational
technology: A review of the research. Washington, D. C.:
Association for Educational Communications and Technology


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