An Analysis of Spectrum Research on Teaching

Spectrum research on teaching has been conducted since 1970s. The purpose of this study was to identify, categorize, and analyze research in this area. Fifty three Spectrum studies conducted between 1970 and 2008 were included in this study. Each paper was coded for (a) decade the study was published, (b) publication outlet/dissertation research, (c) country of origin, (d) teaching styles used, (e) population, (f) focus, (g) general methodology employed, (h) type of class, (i) observation used, and (j) aptitude treatment interaction effects. The results showed that Spectrum research has increased in number over the years, focused mainly on the psychomotor domain, used teaching styles from the Reproduction cluster most frequently, and was quantitative. Although there were methodological flaws, some of the reviewed studies met the minimum demands of good research in the area. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)