Research Paper

RESEARCH PAPER!

The purpose of this research paper is simple--to answer a general research question by reviewing studies that have investigated the topic using the scholarly conventions of scientific inquiry.

The research questions at right are samples; you may select from them or you may propose a topic more relevant to your specific needs.

You are required to write this paper using APA style formatting, in a scholarly voice that is consistent with the articles you read in the journals and books at right.

Sample research questions..

- Are online courses comparable to on-campus courses?
- Do assistive technologies help learning-challenged students?
- Which instructional mode promotes better retention, verbal or visual?
- Do computer games facilitate learning?
- Does virtual reality instruction really make a difference in performance?
- How can a trainer reduce student computer anxiety?
- Why do female students achieve less than male students in computing?
- Does attitude relate to computing performance?
- Do internet users write better than non-users?
- Which student dispositions correlate highest with distance learning success?

Scholarly publications in educational technology, communication, media..

Below are links to sites that list Educational Technology journals, conference proceedings, annuals, and handbooks. Please keep in mind that not all sites publish full texts online. Some do, while others make only abstracts or titles available. In that case, you must still trek to the library and look up the article manually.

ERIC clearinghouse for Educational Technology publications
Full-text ERIC clearinghouse search engine
More Educational Technology journals (University of Illinois)
Media and Communication Studies journals
Rhetoric and Communication Journals

Remember that the above links will just get you started; you will still need to do web searches at your favorite portal sites for other lists of journals and scholarly publications. The ERIC clearinghouses don't list all articles ever published; you need to search the ERIC archives for total access, especially to older studies.

Happy hunting!

Professional associations and conferences..

You really should consider joining one or more of the following professional Educational Technology / Training organizations below. Each publishes a plethora of research journals and trade magazines. Students get significantly discounted membership pricing. Most publications and conference precedings are archived online for full-text or partial downloading.

AECT - Association for Educational Communications and Technology
ISTE - International Society for Technology in Education
AACE - Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education
ASTD - American Society for Training and Development