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Naturalistic inquiry and computer-based instruction: Rationale, procedures, and potential

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Abstract

The naturalistic paradigm offers exceptional promise for gaining the detailed, context-bound information necessary to understand the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) as it is experienced in classroom settings. Such an understanding is critical to the development of principles for designing courseware that meets the needs of the teachers and students who are its ultimate consumers. In this article, the author discusses the most significant theoretical assumptions of the paradigm as they relate to the nature of CBI and to the current needs of the field. Also described are several methods of naturalistic data collection and analysis that can be operationalized in an investigation of students' and teachers' interactions with instructional dimensions of courseware. The author suggests the kinds of insights the naturalistic paradigm can yield and the ways in which those insights can be incorporated into empirically based principles of courseware design.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Library and Information Services, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD

    Delia Neuman (Assistant Professor)

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  1. Delia Neuman
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Neuman, D. Naturalistic inquiry and computer-based instruction: Rationale, procedures, and potential. ETR&D 37, 39–51 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02299055

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