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Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology by David H. JonassenReview by: Roberts A. BradenEducational Technology Research and Development, Vol. 45, No. 1 (1997), pp. 98-101Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30220172 .

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BOOK EMEWS 99things were omitted (e.g., a chapteron learn-ing motivation),but I was not disappointed bythe qualityof anything included. Overall, theeditors have done a splendid job.

The Handbooks a tough book to reviewbecause every chaptercould stand alone and isworthy of its own review. That said, you willunderstand if this discussion of the book ismore an announcement than a review. Thelimitationsof space dictate that this be more ofa descriptionthan an in-depth criticalanalysisof style, substance, and relevance. The Hand-book's 2chapterscoverallbut a scant few areasof scholarly nquirygermaneto the fieldof edu-cationaltechnology.The list of authorsand edi-tors is awesome. Most of contributorsare wellknown. All arewell versed in theirtopic.

The grouping of chaptershas been done ina sensible manner. SectionI, "Foundations orResearch in EducationalCommunicationandTechnology,"begins with a historychapterbyAnn De Vaney which draws great strengthfrom her incorporationof material from theoralhistory tapes in the Association forEduca-tional Communications and Technology(AECT)archives. The rest of that section iscomposed of the best collection of foundationtheory papers that this reviewer has seen.

The chapters on behaviorism, systems,communicationtheory, cognitive psychology,constructivism,postmodernismand poststruc-turalisttheory would makean excellent stand-alone textbook for an introductoryeducationaltechnology theory course. The other chaptersof that section dealing with critical heory, thesociology of educational technology, and theecological psychology of educational technol-ogy are of equal merit, but less basic. Thechapter by Brock Allen and Richard Otto,"Media As Lived Environments:The Ecologi-cal Psychology of EducationalTechnology,"although out of the educational technologymainstream, s one of the pleasant surprisesofthe Handbook.

Section II, "Hard Technologies: Media-RelatedResearch,"covers researchon learningfromtelevision, distanceeducation,computer-based education, virtual realities, and more.Chapter 12, "Researchon and ResearchwithEmerging Technologies," by Mike and Kath-

leen Hannafin, Simon Hooper, Lloyd Rieber,and Asit Kini,mightwell have been an organ-izing chapterforan entiresection on emergingtechnologies-both hardand soft.SectionIII,"SoftTechnologies: nstructionaland InformationalDesign Research,"is com-posed of ten chapters. Classic topics includeeducationalgames and simulations,visual lit-eracy,informationaccessin librariesand infor-mation centers, and using computers ascognitive tools. Other chapters could easilyhave been groupedinto thatemergingtechnol-ogies category.Thereis a very strong chapterby Tim Ragan and Pat Smith titled "Condi-tions-BasedModels forDesigningInstruction."The chapters on intelligent tutoring systems,cognitive teaching models, user-centeredHypertext/Hypermedia,richenvironmentsforactivelearning,and adaptiveinstructional ys-tems are all readable,informative,and timely.Section IV, "InstructionalMessage DesignResearch," contains four excellent chaptersthat deal with visual message design, textdesign, auditory design, and multi-channeldesign. Chapter 26, "VisualMessage Designand Learning,"by Anglin, Towers, and Levie,provides informationabout perceptiontheoryas well as discussion of 90 staticvisual studies,13 classicmotion visualstudies, and42 studiesthat includedanimation as a variable.HowardLevie's contributionto this chapter is notedwith appreciationby all of us who mourn hispassing.Also of special note is Chapter 27, "TextDesign," by JamesHartleywhich reads like alesson on good practicein the applicationoftext. Hartley reveals the researchresults in away that suggests how those results may beapplied. Since we all use text in one way oranother in educational technology, this is achapterfor everyone.SectionV, "InstructionaltrategiesResearch,"is comprisedof six chapters.Rothkopf's hapter("Control f MathemagenicActivities,"Chapter30) is more theoretical han empirical,but is agem nonetheless. Rothkopf'swork is too littleknownand tooimportanto ignore.

BarbaraGrabowski'sChapter31, on genera-tive learning,gets my nomination or best shortchapter only22pages).Theunderlying heory s

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100 ETR&D,ol45, No. I

clearly explained. Applied research is ana-lyzed. Information is compacted into easilyunderstood tabular form. Narrativeexplana-tions are written is readable English. For achapterwith a shortbibliography unusual forthis book), Grabowski's work is powerfulindeed.Chapter34, "InstructionalTechnologyandAttitude Change," by Mike Simonson andNancy Maushak, is notable as one of the fewplaces in the Handbook here researchpertain-ing to the affective domain is given seriousconsideration. The lack of attention to the

affective domain is not a flaw in the Handbook,but rather is a reflection of the educationallandscape which has largely ignored affectivedevelopment.

The other chaptersin SectionV are all welldone and aboutwhat you would expectbasedupon their titles: "Feedback Research,""Learner-Control nd InstructionalTechnolo-gies," "Cooperationand the Use of Technol-ogy," and "Ergonomics and the LearningEnvironment." To clarify, the ergonomics-environment chapter provides informationabout the physical learning environment anddeals mostly with ". . . physical-sensory ele-ments such as lighting, color, sound, space,furniture,and so on that characterize he placein which a student is expected to learn"(p.1045).This is informationuseful for the designof learning facilities and supplements otherchapters of this section and the instructionaldesign and strategies chapters which have"environmental"omponents.

Section VI has only one chapter: Chapter37, "Diffusion and Adoption of EducationalTechnology." This chapter might well havebeen added at the end of Section VII,"ResearchMethodologiesin EducationalCom-munications and Technology." As a closingchapterit would suggest something about theadoption of educational technology researchfindings as well as the adoptionof technologyitself. Bob Holloway pulls no punches in thechapter.While referringonly to the studies onadoption of innovations, he openly discussesproblems with the research that extend intomany corners of the research discussedthroughoutthe Handbook.He notes that results

are not necessarilygeneralizabledue to lack ofrigoroustechniquesand weak causalfindings.Well, thatmightbe the grumblingsof a personwho is a researchcrank were it not for the factthat Hollowaymakesa good case for his mostdevastatingcomment. There t is on page 1129:"Generallyresearch does not have impact onpolicy or practice."If that were the very last(or the first)statement in the book, we mighttry to do somethingabout it.

I would not have been surprised to findDian Walster's Chapter 25, on informationaccess in libraries, located with the researchmethods chapters,but understandwhy it wasincluded instead with the informationdesignmaterial n SectionIII.

In the methodologiessection one expects tofind Ross and Morrison'schapter on experi-mental research. The chapter will be invalu-able to entering scholars in our field. I alsoexpecteda chapteron qualitativeresearch,andSavenye and Robinsondid a qualityjob. Thischapter, too, will be of enormous value tobeginning researchers and those in our fieldwho teach research.As anticipatedthere is auseful chapteron descriptiveresearchmethod-ologies. One might wonder why it was notexpandedto give greatercoverageto historicalresearch-studies that describe the real'worldof the past as well as those that describe thepresent. I wish these three chaptershad beenavailable to me beforeI took my first researchmethods course, yea those many years ago.However, Section VII does have two sur-

prises. Rita Richey and Wayne Nelson havethrown up a bridgebetween evaluation stud-ies and research with Chapter42, "Develop-mental Research." This reviewer sincerelyhopes that study within and of the instruc-tional development process will gain wide-spread acceptabilityas a resultof this chapter.Theothersurprise s Chapter38, by Randall

Koetting, "Philosophy, Research, and Educa-tion." The chapter is, itself, a philosophicalstatement that warrantsintellectual consider-ation. But, it is no more than that. Philosophi-cal inquiry is not now a widely acceptedresearchmethod, and thereforethis controver-sial chapter is one about which each readerwill have to make her or his own judgement.


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BOOK EMEWS 101Certainly, when we talk about research weshould enter into both the discussion and theprocess with open minds.

This volume speaks to the nature of educa-tional technology today. The fact that filmresearch, trivial studies about things like theeffects of keystoning, the notoriousMethodAvs. MethodB studieswhich yielded predictableNSDresults,andotherclassicA/ studiesdo notdominate he bookis importanto note. The vol-ume reflects,perhapsbetterthan any previoussource, the shifting paradigmsof our field. Thenatureof ourinquiry tselfsuggeststrends: romtechnology to technocracy;from concrete toabstract;romdesign to designing;from behav-ioral/cognitivisto cognitivist/constructivist;romtheoretical-pragmatico theoretical-political;ndultimatelyrom nstructionalechnology o learn-

ing technology. Of course that is merely themusings of one reviewer who has just finishedoverdosing on an incredible collection ofpapersthattogethercovereducational echnol-ogy research n depth.For instructional technologists who areinvolved in mentoringgraduateresearch, thisis a must-own book. To benefit from the spe-cial AECTmembers'price, orderdirectlyfromSimon & Schuster, LibrarySales Department,200 Old TappanRoad,Tappan,NJ07675. Callfirst. (800) 223-2336. Mention your AECTmember status. Expect to pay about $4.00

S&H.Roberts radens Professor meritus, aliforniaStateUniversitytChico.

Call for ManuscriptsETR&D invites papers dealing with research in instructional development andtechnology and related issues involving instruction and learning.

Manuscripts that are primarily con-cerned with research in educationaltechnology should be sent to the Edi-tor of the Research Section:Steven M. RossResearch Editor, ETR&DFoundations of EducationUniversity of MemphisMemphis,TN 38152

Manuscripts that are primarily con-cerned with instructional develop-ment and other educational technol-ogy applicationsshouldbe sent to theEditorof the Development Section:James KleinDevelopmentEditor,ETR&DDivision of Psychology in EducationArizonaState UniversityBox 870611Tempe,AZ85287-0611

Guidelines for preparation and submission of manuscripts are providedunder"Directions to Contributors"on the inside back cover.


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