Volume 1, Issue 1, January 2010

ABSTRACT

Employing my research and practical experience in the field of educational psychology, with a specialty in instructional design and technology, I would like to reflect on the theoretical foundations of instructional design. My purpose is to show the growth of the field through theories associated with learning psychology and educational technology. Both human psychology and technology are the main foundations for instructional psychology. Evaluation and assessment continue to be integral to the field but more in the form of tools. Included is my view of the field in reference to work I and my colleagues have done in what we label as a linking theory of instructional design. That is, linking learning theory directly with research findings and practice I argue that educators need to clearly propose and define their own theoretical foundations when engaging in the design of effective learning environments.

Keywords: Instructional technology, Learning theory, Instructional design, Technology, Theoretical foundations

ABSTRACT

Today, the exponential growth of technology usage in education, via such applications of distance education, Internet access, simulations, and educational games, has raised substantially the focus and importance of educational technology research. In this paper, we examine the past and present research trends, with emphasis on the role and contribution of research evidence for informing instructional practices and policies to improve learning in schools. Specific topics addressed include: (a) varied conceptions of “effective” technology uses in classroom instruction as topics for research, (b) historical trends in research approaches and topics of inquiry; (c) alternative research designs for balancing internal (rigor) and external (relevance) validity; and (d) suggested directions for future research. Attention is devoted to describing varied experimental designs as options for achieving appropriate rigor and relevance of research evidence, and using mixed-methods research for investigating and understanding technology applications in complex real-life settings.

Keywords: Educational technology research, Technology and learning, Research designs and trends, Impact of technology on learning

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the most commonly used learning strategies of undergraduate students and how these strategies were related to their academic performance. Toward this purpose, a 60 item Likert scale was administered to a sample of 278 undergraduate students. The students were selected based on their cumulative grand-point-average as the most successful and the least successful five senior-year students from each majoring area in the faculties of arts, engineering, science, communication, and sports. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was 0,93. Results showed that successful students used more, varied, and better learning strategies than unsuccessful students. Female students were more effective in selecting and using appropriate strategies than male students. There were a variety of differences among fields of study; students of fine arts used the strategies least, while students of sports used them the most. The most preferred group of strategies was metacognitive strategies, whereas the least preferred group was organization strategies. The same pattern was found for the level of success, gender, and field of study. The results overall imply that certain strategies contribute to student performance more than other strategies, and majority of university students are aware of this situation.

Keywords: Cognitive strategies, Higher education, Learning strategies, University students

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to develop a scale to investigate cybervictimization among the members of an online social utility. Eight hundred ninety-six participants were recruited with a 36-item web-based survey, which was developed through literature review and expert opinions. The dataset was used for an exploratory factor analysis. After dysfunctional items were eliminated, a 28-item set emerged with a very high internal consistency coefficient explaining half of the total variance with a single-factor structure. The second administration was realized with 200 new participants to confirm the single-factor structure. Along with acceptable fit indices, higher values of internal consistency coefficient and explained variance were observed. It was confirmed that different forms of cyberbullying identified in the literature were included in the questionnaire such as flaming, harassment, cyberstalking, denigration, masquerade, outing and trickery, and exclusion. Receiving religious or politic messages, and unwanted behaviors specifically directed at participants were within the factor structure of the scale. When unwanted behaviors were directed at a larger set of audience, or when the exact target was not the users themselves, such behaviors were not within the factor structure even though somebody else was mistreated. Preliminary findings were discussed followed by implications and suggestions for further research.

Keywords: Cyberbullying, online bullying, electronic harassment, cybervictimization, online communication tools, factor analysis

ABSTRACT

This third edition of the Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology is edited by J. Michael Spector (Florida State University), M. David Merrill (Utah State University), Jeroen J.G. van Merrienboer (Open University of the Netherlands), and Marcy P. Driscoll (Florida State University). It is published in 2008 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (ISBN-13: 978-0-8058-5849-5). The book is organized in six major parts: (1) Foundations; (2) Strategies; (3) Technologies; (4) Models; (5) Design and Development; (6) Research Methodologies. These parts reflect fundamental issues and applications involved in deploying information and communications technologies for educational purposes. Each part is led by one of the coeditors with assistance from a second coeditor and several external reviewers. The Handbook is considered to primarily be useful for doctoral students initiating a research review for their dissertation studies, for faculty as an additional resource for teaching courses on related topics, and for researchers seeking a quick review on a specific topic. All chapters have extensive lists of useful references for researchers who are new to a particular area of study and for doctoral students conducting their background research. Professional educators and educational researchers can also benefit particularly from the chapters in Parts I and VI. These chapters, as well as many others in the Handbook, are likely to be useful for those responsible for leading graduate seminars in the areas of educational technology, instructional systems, or learning environment design and development. Part I, led by Marcy P. Driscoll with assistance from J. Michael Spector, includes historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations and perspectives. Part II, led by M. David Merrill, focuses on strategies. Part III, led by J. Michael Spector, focuses on technologies. Part IV, led by Jeroen van Merrienboer, focuses on models. Part V, led by M. David Merrill, focuses on design and development. Part VI, led by Jeroen van Merrienboer, focuses on methodological issues. Let us now examine each part separately in more details.

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