Clark vs. Kozma... are instruction methods really separable from media?
My personal perceptions of media and learning lean towards Kozma rather than Clark, therefore I do believe that media do influence learning.
Clark argues that a number of media attributes serve similar cognitive functions and therefore something underlying, that cannot be explained, is responsible for cognitive function. I disagree with this. Why is it that learning cannot be influenced in the same way by different media? Does it necessitate creating an “unexplainable phenomenon” to explain this? In fact, I hardly think that instruction method can be effectively separated from the medium through which it occurs.
The type of instruction method clearly influences the choice of media and vice versa. They do not seem to be mutually exclusive although they do refer to different things. Other factors such as learner differences can also work in concert to influence the choice of media.
In his article, Clark presents an analogy that is medical in nature: different forms of the same drug are equally effective as long as the active ingredient is present. He mentions that although the speed of delivery and absorption may be different, the net result is the same. That is not so. The effectiveness of the drug is enhanced or reduced by the medium in which it is delivered. So to say that the net result is the same, is erroneous. Perhaps a liquid injection will allow the active ingredient to penetrate certain tissue better and thereby procure a better response in a shorter time?
Similarly, this can be applied to learning. The media on which instruction is based clearly influences learners differently. The use of books might be preferable to a visual-verbal learner, but providing this same student with multimedia might not produce similar results. This, surely, is an example of media influencing cognitive processes.
My main contention with Clark is that he makes the sweeping statement that “media will never influence learning”. Surely expediency in cognitive processing is one of the many ways media influences learning.
The focus of modern day teaching is no longer the instructor but students. In order to cater to different student needs, instruction must be tailored according to their learning preferences. This not only makes the learning process enjoyable, but also enables them to actively engage in cognitive learning. The end result would be better understanding and recollection of what they have learnt.
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