Running Head: THE CLARK VERSUS KOZMA DEBATE

The Clark versus Kozma Debate

Emma Hoerger

University of West Georgia

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Clark versus Kozma Debate

Background

Clark and Kozma have longed debated the question of whether or not media influences

instruction. Clark believes that the method of the teachers instruction matters much more than

what type of media is utilized while Kozma thinks that certain types of technology can influence

student learning. In the beginning, Kozma agreed with Clark that media did not influence

learning, but he later stated that media can in fact impact learning; teacher just need to find the

ways it does.

Clarks Position

In his early articles, Clark claimed that media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction

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

causes changes in our nutrition (p. 22). I agree with the comparison of technology to a truck

that delivers the instruction; however, I do not agree that is the only role technology plays in

student learning. I believe it not only acts as the method in which the material is presented to the

class, but it also can affect the level of the students engagement which can definitely impact

how much or how well they learn from that lesson. Even the title of Clarks work, Media Will

Never Influence Learning, shows that he was completely close-minded to the possibilities

technology could bring to education.

Kozmas Position

Kozma stated that Clark felt the way he did because he had not yet discovered the

relationship between technology and learning. He responded to Clark by commenting:

If there is no relationship between media and learning it may be because we have not yet

made one. If we do not understand the potential relationship between media and learning,
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quite likely one will not be made. And finally, if we preclude consideration of a

relationship in our theory and research by conceptualizing media as "mere vehicles", we

are likely to never understand the potential for such a relationship. (p. 2)

I feel that Kozma was quite an innovative thinker to make these conclusions in the early

1990s before the huge technological boom hit. His statement about Clarks perception of media

being just a vehicle is exactly the way I felt after reading Clarks position on the topic. Using

that comparison is like setting the theory up to fail by closing our minds to all of the future

possibilities media could bring to our schools.

Kozma discussed that one major benefit to students work quality when media is used is

it can model representations and operations to those students who have difficulty with providing

those themselves. Kozma states that over time, these representations and operations become

internalized such that students can generate for themselves what was generated for them by the

medium (p. 13). This outcome is exactly what every teachers goal is for his or her students: to

teach and to model a concept for them until they master it enough to work through it

independently. The ability for students retain the information and apply it to later situations,

whether a state test or another class a year later, is ultimate highlight of a teachers career.

Kozma was able to have the foresight to understand the impact future technologies could have on

students knowledge retention.

Clark, Kozma, & Cognitive Theories

The two cognitive theories of Sweller and Mayer provide further support of Kozmas

belief that instructional technology improves student performance. Swellers Cognitive Load

Theory refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in a working memory. It seems that

Kozmas position would support Swellers theory because it includes processing and working
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memory development. Mayers cognitive theory of multimedia learning states that learning is an

active process of filtering, selecting, organizing, and integrating information. Mayer also

believed that students need a multi-sensory approach to learning, which would be best

accomplished with the use of technology.

The Debate: Two Decades Later

I believe the argument between Clark and Kozma is still relevant today because even

though there are large amounts of research that show a correlation between the proper use of

medias and an increase in student performance, there are still skeptics that believe that the

technology has no effect on the students learning. Some people are just skeptical by nature and

refuse to open their minds to the researched benefits that instructional technology provides to our

students. Using technology such as iPads in my middle school classroom almost automatically

engages the students more than if I was to instruct using the whiteboard. I would have to believe

that the Clark vs. Kozma debate would be somewhat different because they had altering views

based on what they believed would or would not occur in technology. Two decades later, we has

experienced the boom of technology and seen the results. The evolution of technology has been

incredible since these viewpoints were first formed. The idea of iPad Minis being accessible to

so many students probably never crossed their minds. However, if someone nowadays doubted

the benefits of media in the classroom, he or she could conduct action research on the topic to

receive a more firm answer.

The Stanford Graduate School of Education posted an article in 2014 about the

correlation between using instructional technology and the performance of the students. It states

that media in the classroom boosts both student achievement and student engagement,

particularly among students most at risk. Further information on this claim includes the fact that
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gains in achievement occur by pairing technology with classroom teachers who provide real-

time support and encouragement to underserved students (p.1). Obviously no matter how much

innovative technology is used in the classroom, the teaching styles also have a huge impact on

the learning that takes place as well.

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References

Clark, R. E. (1994). Media Will Never Influence Learning. Educational Technology, Research,

and Development, 42(2), 21-29.

Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will Media Influence Learning? Reframing the Debate. Educational

Technology, Research and Development, 42(2), 7-19.

Technology Can Close Achievement Gaps, Improve Learning (2014).

https://ed.stanford.edu/news/technology-can-close-achievement-gaps-and-improve-

learning-outcomes