clark kozma Technology, Media, and Distance Education

Technology, Media, and Distance Education: "3. There has been much debate over whether or not media influence learning. Summarize this debate and state your opinion.

Research on the influence of media on learning has been a topic of educators since Thorndike (1912) recommended pictures as a labor-saving device in instruction. The hope in this research is to increase learning through the right combination of media, subject matter, and learner characteristics. The debate between Richard Clark and Robert Kozma on this subject is well-known is the annals of media comparison. Other researchers who have contributed to the debate include Grabowski (1989), Lumsdaine (1963), Glaser and Cooley (193), Levie and Dickie (1973), Mielke (1968), Schramm (1977) and Schultz (1988).

The Clark-Kozma debate begin in the Winter of 1983 with Clark's article 'Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media.' In this article, Clark persuasively argues that there are 'no learning benefits to be gained from employing any specific medium to deliver instruction.' Based on a meta-analysis of existing research on media comparison studies, Clark concludes that media are merely delivery vehicles for instruction and do not directly influence learning. In an eloquent delivery truck analogy Clark states that 'media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition. Basically, the choice of vehicle might influence the cost or extent of distributing instruction, but only the content of the vehicle can influence achievement.' Where learner gains have been found, Clark presents compelling rival hypotheses. These hypotheses include: (1) instructional method or content differences between treatments that are compared, (2)"