Researching Instructional Technology in Education: Toward Improved Research-Informed Policy and Practice

• In Event: Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Strategies for Maximizing the Impact of Educational Research in Information Technology on Practice, Policy, and Future Directions

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to examine how effective previous educational research results have been on influencing policy and practice at national and international levels, and to propose ways in which educational research into Instructional Technology (IT) can be consolidated and made more accessible, thereby increasing influence in the future.
Perspective
Rapidly changing technologies and continuously evolving educational contexts make it difficult for an established and accepted body of research evidence to become dispersed to effectively inform policy and practice. Despite 40 years of research on IT in education, a major concern of researchers, policy makers and practitioners is the limited use of research outcomes to inform educational practice. In fact, although schools in many nations have seen a massive infusion of funding and resources, with estimates that overall spending on instructional technology in US schools would top $56 billion in 2012 (Nagel, 2008), widespread well-integrated use of instructional technologies remains unrealized; underutilized by teachers and students alike (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010). In this paper we propose ways to consolidate research efforts and convey research priorities, findings, and implications to policymakers and practitioners so they can make more informed and effective decisions about effective ways to integrate IT into educational systems.
Mode of inquiry
This paper is based on (a) an initial position paper on the current development and penetration of IT and the implications for research (Cox & Sakamoto 2011), (b) development of ideas presented in the position paper by an international working group consisting of IT leaders from 13 nations including representatives from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America at EDUsummIT 2011 in Paris, France (Cox et al. 2011), and (c) further examination and analysis of the research literature to extend key ideas and issues raised during the EDUsummIT 2011 deliberations (Cox et al., 2013).
Data sources and evidence
Data sources included the IT research literature base, official field notes from two rapporteurs assigned to record key points from the EDUsummIT 2011 discussions, and personal field notes from working group participants.
Results and conclusions
Identified trends provide new challenges for educational researchers at national and international levels, requiring attention to the interrelationships among the various components in an educational system. New evidence, that builds on earlier claims of an increasing digital divide between developing and developed countries, has shown that this phenomenon is much more complex than was previously thought. We suggest that a promising way to maximize the knowledge and impact of researching IT in education is to establish longitudinal programmatic research sustained through the establishment of E-learning observatories, which can bring together expertise across a range of disciplines and systematically and strategically disseminate important findings to practitioners and policymakers.
Scholarly significance
Our intent in this paper is to present more effective and systematic ways to conduct and disseminate research on educational uses of IT. Insights from participants from every inhabited continent provided insights that promote cooperation, collaboration, and a shared vision with all stakeholders contributing to the greater effort.

Authors

• Margaret Josephine Cox, King's College London

• Dale S. Niederhauser, West Virginia University