Researching computers and education - glimpses of the wider picture

With information and communications technology (ICT) beginning to form the basis of extensive educational reform around the world, this paper consider s how research into educational computing can move beyond its 'hobbyist' or igins and keep abreast of the burgeoning role of technology in education po licy and practice. By discussing the present limitations of educational com puting research the paper goes onto suggest an agenda for advancing and imp roving inquiry in this area. In particular the discussion focuses on the ne ed to embrace diverse methods of research and theoretical approaches to exa mining educational computing, as well as the need to ask 'wider' questions of the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of ICT in education al settings. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.