Running head: IMPACT OF MEDIA ON STUDENT LEARNING 1

Position Paper on the Impact of Media and Instructional Technology on Student Learning
Nancy Curran
University of West Georgia
IMPACT OF MEDIA ON STUDENT LEARNING 2

Instructional technologys goal is to improve efficiency and effectiveness of instruction

for students across learning areas. Media can be used to enhance learning in the classroom to

help to make instruction more meaningful to students by creating connections between content

and the real-world. However, media cannot be the sole provider of instructional material for

students and must be used in conjunction with other teaching practices in order to have a greater

impact on student learning. This paper will outline the debate between Richard Clark and Robert

Kozma in which they argue whether or not media has any type of impact on student learning and

also how their debate has opened the door for new types of research in the ways that media can

impact education.

Richard Clark claims that the use of media in the classroom has not been proven to have

an impact on student learning more than the type of instructional method that the instructional

media is based upon. Clark states that media are mere vehicles that that deliver instruction but

do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes

changes in our nutrition (1994, p. 22). He posits that the main influence on learning must come

from effective instructional practices which must be the foundation of any type of instructional

media that is used in education (1994, p. 27). His argument simply says that there has not been a

study to show that instructional technology as of 1994, but he does not state that instructional

technology cannot have an impact, just that there is no greater gain in student achievement when

instructional technology is used in the place of other, more traditional, teaching models.

On the other side of this argument is Robert Kozma who argues that instructional

technology must be a part of the learning process which includes a relationship between media

and learning. Kozma states that if we preclude consideration of a relationship in out theory and

research by conceptualizing media as mere vehicles, we are likely to never understand the
IMPACT OF MEDIA ON STUDENT LEARNING 3

potential for such a relationship (1994, p. 8). His research goes on to point out two specific

examples in which students made significant gains when using technology in the classroom. Its

important to note that Kozma does not think that media and learning are to exist separately, but

instead must be used in conjunction with one another in order to have a meaningful impact on

student learning. For example, the Jasper project described in Kozmas paper showed that the use

of technology provided context for students in how to apply the concepts of a math class into a

real-world scenario that the students could then apply to other types of math problems (Kozma,

p. 29).

The cognitive load theory, proposed by John Sweller, tells us that learning is best

achieved when the instructional practices are aligned to the way that the brain works best

(Soloman, 2015). This supports Kozmas argument that media can enhance instruction when

teachers use media to enhance a childs learning by applying the proper schema that can help a

child to learn. According to Sweller, a schema is a cognitive construct that organizes the

elements of information according to the manner with which they will be dealt, in other words it

allows the learner to focus on what needs to be learned in order to achieve mastery of a particular

topic (1994, p. 296). It is in the hands of the instructor to ensure that the media used to teach a

particular concept be focused on material that can help to illustrate the point clearly and

concisely so as to not overload the learner with extraneous information. Again, this points to the

fact that media and instructional technology must be used together in a way that mimics other

best practices, and not just being used for the sake of using technology.

Robert Mayers cognitive theory of multimedia learning is similar to Swellers cognitive

load theory in that it suggests that there is only a limited amount of information that an

individual can perceive at any given time, however this particular theory suggests that
IMPACT OF MEDIA ON STUDENT LEARNING 4

individuals process information through both auditory and visual channels, each with its limited

capacity. The theory also suggests that learning requires individuals to filter, select, organize, and

integrate information based on prior knowledge (Cognitive theory of multimedia learning, 2014).

This relates to the use of technology in the classroom as it is important that teachers select

certain media in the classroom that limits the amount of distractions for students so that they may

be able to focus on the information to be learned. It is important that as students progress through

their education that they learn to filter out the unnecessary information that may cause a

distraction.

Personally, I feel that media has the capability of illustrating very difficult concepts for

students in a way that can help to make connections to build on prior knowledge. According to

Pedagogy in Action (Why use media to enhance teaching and learning, 2012) the use of media

for students can help them to hone their analytical skills by learning to ignore unnecessary

information that may cause confusion for some students. Students can also use technology to

delve into new experiences that they may never be able to take part in. These things can help to

make connections for students beyond the textbook and provide real-world examples, much like

the Jasper study mentioned by Kozma. Technology in the right teachers hands can be an

amazingly illustrative tool that can help to open up the world for students to experience new

things and to make connections between the real-world and content. However, media can also be

a hindrance in some classrooms as it may be used in a distracting way that does not properly

illustrate the information. Educators need to be provided with the proper training in how to best

present media and other instructional best practices in order to be able to enhance instruction for

all students.
IMPACT OF MEDIA ON STUDENT LEARNING 5

References
Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational technology research and
development., 42(2), 21-29.
Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. (2014). Retrieved from Learning-theories:
http://www.learning-theories.com/cognitive-theory-of-multimedia-learning-mayer.html
Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will media influence learning: Reframing the debate. Educational
technology research and development, 42(2), 7-19.
Soloman, H. (2015). Cognitive load theory. Retrieved from Instructional Design:
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/cognitive-load.html
Sweller, J. (1994). Cognitive load theory, learning difficulty, and instructional design. Learning
and instruction, 295-312.
Why use media to enhance teaching and learning. (2012, May 15). Retrieved from Pedagogy in
action: http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/media/why.html