In assessing the validity of Clark's (1983) argument that media have no real effect on learning, the fourth of four symposium papers identifies five aspects of media which might affect learning: (1) the technology used; (2) the symbol systems employed; (3) the content conveyed; (4) the setting in which the media are encountered; and (5) the…

This introduction to a symposium on the status of research in instructional technology discusses the ongoing debate among developmental researchers as to the instructional effectiveness of media. The controversy dates from the publication in 1983 of an article by Richard E. Clark, who presented the position that media do not really contribute to…

Main trends in media research in Western Europe are identified, with emphasis on three successive stages since 1960: tools technology, systems technology, and reflective technology. Previously, the third stage has not been well elaborated, a statement supported by an analysis of the content and context of European media. A critical appraisal of…

The relationship between teacher burnout and the use of various media in teaching was examined with data collected from 545 elementary and secondary teachers in the Fort Worth, Texas public school system. Subscales measured factors indicating teacher burnout, including teachers' perceptions of the degree of administrative support received, career…

A project involving the evaluation of microcomputer courseware being marketed for school use was conducted in the Microcomputer Resource Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, during 1982 with funding from the Exxon Education Foundation. Every courseware package was evaluated by a team which included a subject matter expert, an…

Intended to provide the novice media researcher with an introduction, review, and current thinking on media-related research, this article traces the historical emphases and development of such research, discusses its positive and negative aspects, and presents recommendations by practitioners and researchers, as well as directions for future…

Describes recent turn in media research to functionalist perspective and brings into focus insights into learning mechanisms that might provide benefits to educational technology researchers. Learning factors that media could facilitate are discussed: self-regulation, conflict resolution and reflexive abstraction; coordination of correspondences…

A review of computer assisted instruction research and recent meta-analytical reports suggests that all research on the learning benefits of the instructional uses of computers should be halted until there is a plausible reason to expect that computers are instrumental in learning, since all existing evidence indicates that computers do not yield…

Post structural reader theories--i.e., theories that focus on the reader/viewer rather than the text as the creator of meaning--are considered in this paper in terms of their application to educational media research. Some key concepts of reader theories are defined as follows: (1) reading is the process of creating meaning while viewing an…

Current issues in educational communications and technology are addressed in this collection of 48 papers, in which research reports predominate. Topics discussed include factors related to the learner, e.g., field dependence/independence, learning strategies, information processing, spatial ability, cognitive style, and cognitive strategies.…

Addresses the implicit assumption that instructional media represent meaningful experimental variables independent of instructional content or strategy. Results of computer-based instruction (CBI) studies (both well-designed and flawed) and meta-analyses are reviewed to support the authors' position that this assumption is invalid, and new…

This paper introducing a symposium--Cognitive Style and Microcomputers: A Review and Synthesis of Current and Needed Research and Development--presents issues attendant to research and development in cognitive styles and microcomputer uses within the context of instructional technology, with emphasis on the relationship of cognitive style to…

This overview of the development of media education in Japan begins with a discussion of the motion picture as entertainment and the public attitude toward film in Japan during the early years of the century. The introduction of film education into the schools in the 1920s--both teaching by film and teaching about film--is then described together…

This document includes 46 papers presented at the International Visual Literacy Association Conference on topics ranging from prehistoric cave paintings to technology of the future. Major sections are devoted to research and theory, education, computer technology, and phototherapy. Emphasis is on increased understanding of opportunities available…

In the first of four symposium papers, Clark reviews the research on learning from media and uses his argument that media comparison studies show no differences in learning attributable to any one medium over another to dispute recent research on computer-assisted instruction. He also takes the position that the media attribute argument (i.e.,…