Editor's Note
A recent commentary in Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) written by the editors of six prominent educational technology journals addresses the complex issue of “acceptable evidence” and scientifically based research (SBR) in educational technology research. While the No Child Left Behind Act ( NCLB ) defines SBR in terms of empirical, generalized data, replicable studies, and rigorous data analyses, the editors acknowledge the value of practitioner articles and authentic, classroom research. They call for a strategy that “simultaneously meets the requirements for evidence that technology can make a difference in classrooms and articulates what we understand to be essential in asking appropriate questions and designing authentic research” (Schrum, Thompson, Sprague, Maddux, McAnear, Bell, & Bull, 2005, p. 203).
The articles in this issue of Meridian clearly draw attention to the need for some acceptable middle ground between the NCLB definition of SBR and authentic but less empirical classroom research. In Getting the Jump on Technology Integration Using Java Applets for Staff Development , the authors experiment with applets to improve student performance and increase teacher confidence using technology. While a pre- and post-test can assess student performance, validating an increase in teacher confidence is less clearly quantifiable.
The same can be said for Little's article on Technology Integration as an Intervention Strategy for At-Risk Eighth Graders. While student test scores show improvement from one year to the next, the actual impact of technology integration upon student learning is not explained simply or fully through test scores. A more accurate representation would include both quantitative and qualitative data. As Schrum et al. (2005) note, “…it is difficult to tease out the impact of technology on student learning among the other variables that may influence learning” (p. 205).
The Allan, Carbonaro, and Buck article on A Survey of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) Use in a Middle School Environment: Perceptions of Teachers, Parents, and Students, while based on quantifiable survey data, delves into the imprecise realm of perceptions and attitudes for which statistics alone cannot provide a complete picture of the research.
And, finally, the Kuschke and Annetta commentary Addressing No Child Left Behind through Released Middle Grades Test Items echoes a recommendation of the CITE commentary for more research on teacher practice with technologies. Kuschke and Annetta argue, “While exhaustive efforts are expended on student performance, the same can not be said for the effort being put forth to support teacher knowledge of the tests.”
While NCLB is forcing administrators and researchers to think and act differently and perhaps more purposefully, the teacher voice and authentic classroom practice must not be overlooked, discounted, or under-valued. Classrooms are fertile research fields but too often classroom data go unreported because practitioners lack guidance, knowledge, or support to take their data to the next level. The CITE commentary recommends a strong mentoring effort for new researchers as one possible way to fortify research efforts in teaching practice and student learning. We at Meridian would advocate that the mentoring idea be expanded and extended to include, invite, and, indeed, solicit participation by classroom practitioners who have practical, authentic data but have not been taught or encouraged to report or even interpret their findings within SBR parameters. We would like to see classroom teachers such as those who write for Meridian welcomed to the research table not just as facilitators for researchers but as researchers in their own right.
Anne Akers
Co-editor, Meridian : A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal
Reference
Schrum, L., Thompson, A., Sprague, D., Maddux, C., McAnear, A., Bell , L., & Bull, G. (2005). Advancing the field: Considering acceptable evidence in educational technology research. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 5 (3/4). Available: http://www.citejournal.org/vol5/iss3/editorial/article1.cfm
