British Journal of Educational Psychology
2005, Volume 75, pp. 1-24.

Roles for Software Technologies in Advancing Research and Theory in Educational Psychology

Allyson F. Hadwin¹, Philip H. Winne² and John C. Nesbit^2
1University of Victoria
²Simon Fraser University

Abstract
While reviews abound on theoretical topics in educational psychology, it is rare that we examine our field’s instrumentation development, and what effects this has on educational psychology’s evolution. To repair this gap, this paper investigates and reveals the implications of software technologies for researching and theorizing about core issues in educational psychology. From a set of approximately 1,500 articles published between 1999 and 2004, we sampled illustrative studies and organized them into four broad themes: (a) innovative ways to operationalize variables, (b) the changing nature of instructional interventions, (c) new fields of research in educational psychology, and (d) new constructs to be examined. In each area, we identify novel uses of these technologies and suggest how they may advance, and, in some instances, reshape theory and methodology. Overall, we demonstrate that software technologies hold significant potential to elaborate research in the field.

Citation
Hadwin, A. F., Winne, P. H., & Nesbit, J. C. (2005). Roles for software technologies in advancing research and theory in educational psychology. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 75, 1-24.

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