Learning Technologies in the Classroom: A Study of Results

The Research reported in this paper focuses primarily on the shot term question, Do learning technologies effect student learning? It utilizes a meta analytic technique to review comparative studies of differing technologies under different conditions. A study had to meet the following criteria to be included in this analysis: It 1) took place in a classroom; 2) had a control and treatment group structure; 3) was free of major methodological flaws, and 4) provided either an effect size or the data to calculate one. The 184 studies selected for this review represent a diverse array of district and vendor evaluations, independent research projects published in scholarly journals, and dissertation studies. A typology of three learning technology applications: computer-assisted instruction (CAI), computer-managed instruction (CMI), and computer-enriched instruction (CEIK) was created to categorize the studies. Specific applications for each category were also used to describe study results, i.e., writing to read (WTR), integrated learning systems (ILS), and multimedia (MM)