This assessment of the status of research on instructional development (ID) discusses such conceptual problems as the confusion between ID and instructional design, reviews previous research, and proposes a framework for future ID research. Decision-oriented issues discussed within this framework include: (1) administrative and policy issues of ID agencies; (2) internal organization and management of ID teams; (3) interaction with clients; (4) social and political relationships with supra-systems; and (5) optimization of ID procedures such as model development, needs analysis, learner analysis, task analysis, environmental analysis, objectives specification, prototype construction, formative evaluation, summative evaluation, and implementation. Conclusion-oriented issues, a second broad category within the framework, are discussed in the context of the definition and effectiveness of ID. The behavior of participants in the ID process and the effects of ID products on their intended audiences are also identified as major classes of phenomena to be studied, and direct, indirect, and simulated observation are suggested as possible research methodologies. Sixty references are listed. (MES)