Research questions and methodological issues

This chapter provides an overview of current learning technology research and demonstrates how it has emerged as a new field over the past decade. It will consider the cognate disciplines which feed into the area and the ways in which they inform it, as well as considering how these provide rich multiple perspectives but also give rise to inherent tensions due to differences in values and language. Current research activities are categorised, along with illustrative research questions. An outline of the research methods used to investigate these questions is given, along with an overview of the methodological issues which arise. The chapter reflects on how the area has developed over the past decade and concludes with some thoughts on future research directions. It describes the different dimensions of learning technology in terms of the both the pedagogical and technical aspects and also the impact of technologies on both individual tutors and learners and on organisational structures