into schools , but the process takes longer than most people imagine . Educational administrators who imagine that a summer workshop or after-school seminars by consultants will enable teachers to implement media and technology in their classrooms are mistaken . Huge investments in time and support for teachers will be especially critical if the adoption of constructivist pedagogies accompany the infusion of media and technology ( Duffy & Cunningham , 1996 ).
The Need for Mission-Focused , Development Research
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The fact that educational research is not highly valued by educational practitioners is widely recognized . A large part of the problem can be attributed to the fact that the interests of academics who conduct research and those of administrators , teachers , students , parents , and others involved in the educational enterprise are often quite different . Tanner ( 1998 ) reminds us that educational research should be focused on the mission of enhancing educational opportunities and outcomes :
Unfortunately , much that is taken for social research serves no social purpose other than to embellish reputations in the citadels of academe and sometimes to even undermine the democratic public interest .... Early in this century , John Dewey warned that educational practices must be the source of the ultimate problems to be investigated if we are to build a science of education . We may draw from the behavioral sciences , but the behavioral sciences do not define the educational problems . The faculties of the professional schools draw on the basic sciences , but their mandate is mission-oriented , not disciplined centered . ( p . 348- 349 )
This report reveals that students learn both from and with media and technology . Instructional television , computer-based instruction , and integrated learning systems have all been demonstrated to be effective and efficient tutors . There is considerable evidence that learners develop critical thinking skills as authors , designers , and constructors of multimedia or as active participants in constructivist learning environments . Further research on whether media and technology are as effective as teachers and other methods is no longer needed .
At the same time , the need for long-term , intensive research focused on the mission of improving teaching and learning through media and technology has never been greater . This research should be developmental in nature , i . e ., focused on the invention and improvement of creative approaches to enhancing human communication , learning , and performance through the use of media and technology . The purpose of such research is to improve , not to prove . Further , developmental research is not limited to any one methodology . Any approach , quantitative or qualitative , is legitimate as long as the goal is to enhance education .
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