Research in Distance Education: 2
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DOCUMENT RESUME 1 ED 358 820 IR 016 100 AUTHOR Evans, Terry, Ed.; Juler, Philip, Ed. TITLE Research in Distance Education: 2. Revised Papers from the Research in Distance Education Seminar(2nd, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 1991). INSTITUTION Deakin Univ., Geelong (Australia). Inst. of Distance Education. REPORT NO ISBN-0-7300-2012-6 PUB DATE 92 NOTE 224p.; For the 1989 seminar papers, see ED 342 383. PUB TYPE Collected Works Conference Proceedings (021) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Development; College Students; Computer Assisted Instruction; Conference Papers; Constructivism (Learning); Disabilities; *Distance Education; *Educational Research; Epistemology; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Nontraditional Education; Research Methodology; Research Problems; Student Participation: *Telecommunications IDENTIFIERS Australia; Research Teams ABSTRACT Nineteen papers concerning various aspects of distance education and distance education research are presentedin this document. The papers are:(1) "Introduction, Celebrating Difference in Research in Distance Education" (TerryEvans); (2) "Discourse or Discord? A Dilemma of Distance Education"(Philip Juler);(3) "Reconceptualising Distance Education" (GarryGillard); (4) "Constructivist Epistemology and Its Implications for Contemporary Research in Distance Learning"(Olugbemiro Jegede); (5) "Distance Education: Researching Formations" (DavidHarris); (6) "Revealing Links: Post-Fordism, Postmodernism and DistanceEducation" (Mick Campion);(7) "Privileging Others and Otherness in Research in Distance Education" (Richard Guy);(8) "Openness in Distance and Higher Education as the Social Control of People withDisabilities: An Australian Policy Analysis"(Christopher Newell and Judi Walker); (9) "Theorising Adult Change and Development through Researchin Distance Education" (Alistair Morgan); (10) "Life CourseAnalysis and Research in Distance Education" (Nick C.Farnes); (11) "A Method for Assessing Student Use of Study Notes" (Stephen Relf andTerry Geddes); (12) "Research in Teleconferencing: Proximics and Student Participation" (Mohammed Razha Rashid, Omar Majid, AbdulRahim Ibrahim, and Mohammed Ridzuan Nordin); (13) "StudentAttendance and Costs of On-Campus Commitments for DistanceEducation Students" (Eve Cuskelly and John Dekkers); (14) "Computers as DistanceEducation Research Tools" (Lin Thompson); (15) "LanguageLearning for Off-Campus Students" (James Butare-Kiyovu);(16) "Creative Conflict Theory and Postgraduate Research in DistanceEducation" (Ernst Ralf Hintz); (17) "Distance Education: Targeting the Primary Producerand Computer Technology" (Robin Pilcher and RossWilson); (18) "Alternatives to Residential Schools: Empowering Students ToSucceed at Home" (John Eiseman and Mary JaneMahony); and (19) "Reflections on Team Research in DistanceEducation" (David Kember, Tammy Lai, David Murphy, Irene Siaw, Julianne Wong, and K. S.Yuen). (Contains 247 references.) (SLD) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) C This document has been reproduced as received from the person or OrgintZattOn Onpinating .1 C Minor changes have been made to improve reprOduCbOn Quality Points of new or opinions stated in this docu ment Co not necessarily represent official trot OERI position or policy !Am "PERMISSION TOREPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEENGRANTED BY Terry Evans RESOURCES TO THE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC) 2 BEST COPY AVAIL Research In Distance Education 2 Revised papers from the second Research in Distance Education seminar, Deakin University 1991 Edited by Terry Evans & Philip Juler DEAKIN Institute of Distance Education Published by the Institute of Distance Education, Deakin University Distributed by Deakin University Press, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic. 3217 First published 1992 © 1992 Deakin University Printed by Deakin University Printery ISBN 0 7300 2012 6 4 Contents 1Introduction: celebrating difference in research in distance education 1 Terry Evans 2Discourse or discord? A dilemma of distance education 5 Philip Juler 3 Reconceptualising distance education 16 Garry Gil lard 4Constructivistepistemology and its implications for contemporary research in distance learning 21 Olugbemiro Jegede 5Distance education: researching formations 30 David Harris 6 Revealing links: post-Fordism, postmodernism and distance education 45 Mick Campion 7 Privileging Others and Otherness in research in distance education 52 Richard Guy 8 'Openness' in distance and higher education as the social control of people with disabilities: an Australian policy analysis 68 Christopher Newell & Judi Walker 9 Theorising adult change and development through research in distance education 81 Alistair Morgan 10Life course analysis and research in distance education 89 Nick C Farnes 11 A method for assessing student use of study notes 105 Stephen Reif & Terry Geddes 5 12 Research in teleconferencing: proximics and student participation 112 Mohammed Razha Rashid, Omar Majid, Abdul Rahim Ibrahim & Mohammed Ridzuan Nordin 13 Student attendance and the costs of on-campus commitments for distance students 122 Eve Cuskelly & John Dekkers 14 Computersas distance education research tools 137 Lin Thompson 15 Language learning for off-campus students 144 Butare Kiyovu 16Creative conflict theory and postgraduate research in distance education 157 Ernst Ralf Hintz 17 Distance education: targeting the primary producer and computer technology 163 Robin Pilcher & Ross Wilson 18Alternatives to residential schools: empowering students to succeed at home 178 John Eiseman & Mary Jane Mahony 19Reflections on team research in distance education 190 David Kember, Tammy Lai, David Murphy, Irene Siaw, Julianne Wong & K S Yuen References 203 Chapter 1 Introduction: celebrating difference in research in distance education Terry Evans THE 1990s HAVE given the world's citizens a feeling of social, political and economic turbulence. Although there have been granitic islands of conservatism and tradition, most ideological lanIforms have been eroded and reformed with a speed and doracter which belies their pasts. Forms of distance education are influenced by this continuing turbulence and, indeed, are playing a part in the reformation processes which are taking place locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. As practitioners and re- searchers in particular, we can easily be focussed on our local circumstances as we worry about the changes which constantly require ourincreasing efforts. There is enormous energy in distance education these days, but there is also exhaustion; an exhaustion induced by politicians, bureaucrats and policymakers who do their frenetic best to rebuild and reform their nations to cope with the global turbulence. Distance education, as part of any nation's educational fabric, is being called upon to do more, more efficiently and more diverselythan ever before. The people who learn through distance education these days are also increasingly diverse. No longer are they 'marginal' people doing 'second-best' correspond- ence courses in isolated circumstances. Nowadays distanceeducation can be anything from mass to 'boutique' education. It can be for literacy, agricultural or health education in developing nations, andfor mid-career professional development among the burgeoning middle classes. It can also provide school subject diversity and choice for children, and workplace education for the 'restructuring' working classes. Within and beyond these examples, distance education is also expected to provide a more equitable form of access to educa- tion for people whose circumstances or disabilities have often made other forms of education difficult or impossible. In the course of such global and local changes to the uses of distance education there is a continuing reconfiguring of distance education itself. The cumber- someness of the term 'distance education' and the philandering of itsbedfellow 'open learning' leave people outside the field mystified as to what they mean. 7 1 CHAPI UR 01E Education more broadly is always under challenge and is currently adapting itself to the demands of the contemporary circumstances. It is very difficult to see what these re-formations will mean for distance education, open learning and other forms of education. Sooner or later, one can envisage an implosion as each re-forms within the emerging circumstances using technologies and ap- proaches to teaching and learning which have come from different education sectors. Moreover, there is the possibility that new borders may be drawn around different aggregations of educational practice and student population. Research has an important but difficult place in the changes which surround distance education. One the one hand the nature of research is that it requires time and resources for planning, fieldwork, analysis and writing up. On the other hand, time and resources are being concentrated into surviving and keep- ing pace with the turbulent demands of contemporary educational worlds. Not only does research require time for its implementation, but the processes of reflection and change to policies and practices which follow also demand time. It appears as if research processes need to adapt to/with the new circumstances and technologies; perhaps a reformed 'action research' will emerge in which the cycle of reflection, research and action is compressed into a whirl of bureau- cratic/democratic, information and change? Research