ABSTRACT
My thesis in this book is the same as it was in my earlier book, A Theory of Education (Novak, 1977a): Education, in any setting, is an enormously complex human endeavor; there are more ways to make changes that will be harmful or of little value than ways to make constructive improvements in education. A comprehensive theory of education is needed to give vision and guidance for new practices and research leading to steady improvement of education. The ideas in this book should apply to all educational settings, including schools, universities, corporations, technology-mediated education, and nonformal education, such as museums or hobbies.
