What Are the Limitations of Research on Multimedia Learning in Games, Simulations, and Microworlds?
Research on multimedia learning in games, simulations, and microworlds has used a diverse collection of research methods with equally divergent results. There is no one “right” approach. As any student of educational research knows, quantitative experimental research generally has strong internal validity, but weak external validity, whereas it is just the opposite for qualitative research. Experimental research based on randomized trials is often touted as the “gold standard” of scientific research (National Research Council, 2002) . The strength of an experimental design is the ability to study one variable at a time while controlling all others in order to understand how much influence the variable has on learning. However, experimental research comes with the inherent criticism that the results reflect little on how learning actually occurs in the messy world of classrooms and homes. In contrast, qualitative designs yield interesting glimpses into particular cases, but run the risk
