ABSTRACT
Technology-enabled teaching and learning have been under considerable scrutiny from the academic educational fraternity and much is written in celebration of initiatives, exemplification of the affordances and the examination of learning. Identifying, through rigorous research methods, the efficacy or efficiency of e-learning methods is not easy. As David Mitchell observes, the paradigm for most empirical educational research is based on ‘an input-process-output model which assumes causality from independent to dependent variable’ (Mitchell, 1997: 53). The approach requires a high level of mathematical rigour both in establishing the quality of the raw data and in the application of statistics, such as t-test, correlations, analysis of variance, etc. He also identifies the problems associated with ‘passing subjective judgements off as measurements . . . by attaching numbers to constructs for which none of the properties of measurable magnitude are met’ (1997: 53). With that caution in mind, this chapter begins with the description of a meta-analysis of the research carried out between 1996 and 2008. The other sections deal with particular foci of research: the
collaborative and social aspects of technology-enabled learning, the classroom settings for e-learning and the technology focus of research. Finally, there is a description of a critique of one important aspect of learning through technology – e-safety.
