Abstract
In recent years, various educational researchers and theorists have promoted the study of educational institutions or systems as ecosystems (e.g., Bransford, Slowinski, Vye, & Mosborg, 2008; Davis, 2008; Lemke & Sabelli, 2008). The ecosystem provides a framework for studying educational change because it highlights the hierarchical relationship between components in a nested structure, for example, classrooms are nested in schools, and schools are nested in regional districts and educational systems. All are interdependent and interconnected elements in the educational ecosystem. However, empirical studies in education adopting such a framework are still rare. A notable example is Zhao and Frank’s (2003) study of computer use in four school districts in the United States. They explicitly designed their study according to a framework in which computer use is seen as one invasive species in the education ecosystem. Using a survey to collect their data, Zhao and Frank explored the adoption of ICT in the four school districts at classroom, school, and district levels, and found significant relationships between different statistical parameters based on a theoretical model of the interrelationships among various elements in the educational ecosystem.
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Notes
- 1.
In ecology, niche is a term that describes the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem. The total resources and physical conditions required by a species are referred to as its ecological niche and determine where it can live and how abundant it can be in a particular location or environment. The notion of ecological niche also involves consideration of how an organism or a population responds to the distribution of resources (e.g., food supply), competitors, and enemies (e.g., predators, parasites, and pathogens) and how it, in turn, alters those same factors.
- 2.
Predation is a term used in ecology to describe “a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on its prey (the organism that is attacked).” The act of predation is always not to the benefit of the prey (Wikipedia).
- 3.
Environmental conditions constituting the ecological niches of the species.
- 4.
The URL for this database is http://sitesdatabase.cite.hku.hk/online/index.asp.
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Law, N., Yuen, A., Fox, R. (2011). Research Design and Methods. In: Educational Innovations Beyond Technology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71148-5_2
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