About the CRLT The CRLT has as its mission to promote and support a community of scholars dedicated to research on the design, use, and implementation of technology to improve learning. Three primary themes underlie the work at the Center: • research that contributes to the development of new pedagogical models for continuing professional development in the 21st century; • research on and evaluation of interactive distance learning environments that inform our understanding of student learning; and • research on teaching strategies for using current and emerging technologies to support student interaction, collaboration, and engagement in the issues being studied. This report is one of a series from our on-going research on learning and technology. If you have any questions or comments on this report, or if you would like to find out more about the activities of the CRLT, contact:

We report on our findings regarding authors ’ use of theory in 1,160 articles that appeared in six information science (IS) journals from 1993–1998. Our findings indicate that theory was discussed in 34.1 % of the articles (0.93 theory incidents per article; 2.73 incidents per article when considering only those articles employing theory). The majority of these theories were from the social sciences (45.4%), followed by IS (29.9%), the sciences (19.3%), and humanities (5.4%). New IS theories wereproposedby71authors.Whencomparedwithpreviousstudies,ourresultssuggestanincreaseintheuse of theory within IS. However, clear discrepancies were evidentintermsofhowresearchersworkingindifferent subfields define theory. Results from citation analysis indicate that IS theory is not heavily cited outside the field,exceptbyISauthorspublishinginotherliteratures. Suggestions for further research are discussed. Background “Having atheory ” is today the mark of research seriousness and respectability. Theory is, of course, convenient, and helps to organize and communicate unwieldy data and simplify the terrible complexities of the social world, matters thatmaywellbemoreimportanttothefieldthanwhetheror not agiven theory is true of false. (Van Maanen, 1998, p. xxix). It is a well-known fact that IS lacks good theories. (Hjørland, 1998, p. 607) [Theories] may be expressed or represented in written and graphical form. They may well inspire and guide practical achievements of aconcrete form. Yet atheory remains amental construct. A“good ” theory is one that matches well our perception of whatever the theory is about. The closer the match, the better the theory is. (Buckland, 1991, p. 19) Working with conceptual frameworks and empirical research has never been easy. (Chatman, 1996, p. 205)

Abstract: In this manuscript we describe our “empowerment design ” work. Instead of simply building an artifact to help an individual accomplish a particular task, the focus of empowerment design work is to develop socio-technical structures that empower individuals and societies more generally. Essentially, empowerment design is designing with heart. It is a complex work that involves bringing together multiple and even opposing agendas, acknowledging different voices, and even working through unintended consequences and confusing struggles that have no one clear answer. Here, we describe an empowerment design initiative that overtly attempts to transform a culture and empower those it serves by way of a technology-rich educational innovation called Quest Atlantis. While the project is currently situated in various informal and formal learning environments, much of the data in this account is focused on our collaboration with a local Boys and Girls Club that serves disadvantaged children. However, empowerment design requires going beyond the initial site of innovation, and therefore we also bring in data based on our work with teachers and additional sites so as to communicate the complete cycle of empowerment design.

The epistemological reflection model offers a constructivist theory of personal epistemology based on a 16-year longitudinal study. Participants ’ developmental journeys are intertwined with the researchers ’ journey to trace the evolution of the model and its implications for research and practice to promote personal epistemology. A friend who is a physics major said he was going to a physics seminar. When I heard the word seminar, I thought, “Physics has seminars? I mean, you can debate physics? And not be right and not be wrong? ” Reginald (Baxter Magolda, 1992, p. 136) Rereading the data, I became immersed in the students’ stories. I lost track of the categorization system that had become so ingrained in my thinking as I listened to their experiences and what they thought about them. The experience transformed my thinking. Marcia (Baxter Magolda, 1992, p. 10) These two quotes, one from a participant in my longitudinal study and the other from my own notes as researcher, illustrate moments of epistemological transformation—questioning existing assumptions and crafting new ones to see the world from a more complex perspective. Reginald conveys his new insights on physics that led him to a new perspective on knowledge. I convey my new way of seeing inquiry that led me to a constructivist conceptualization of epistemological reflection (ER). In this article I narrate the interweaving of two transformational journeys—my own and that of longitudinal participants’—to explain how the ER model and its paradigmaticfoundationevolvedoverthecourseofa20-yearresearch program. The ER model emerged from a 16-year longitudinal interview study of young adults ’ development from age 18 to 34 (Baxter Magolda, 1992, 2001). I use the term epistemological reflection to refer to assumptions about the nature, limits, and certainty of knowledge, and how those epistemological assumptions evolve during young adult-Requests for reprints should be sent to Marcia B. Baxter Magolda, Educational

Acknowledgements: This study was made possible with the help of the Public Defender’s

This dissertation focuses on stakeholder relationships and an organization’s commitment to communities, and ultimately, corporate social responsibility. The relationship between corporations and the community stakeholder is being investigated for a number of reasons. First, the concept of corporate social responsibility suggests an organization has responsibilities beyond increasing operating profit and satisfying stockholders to addressing issues of society as a whole. Are organizations responsible to communities and society? If so, how and with whom do organizations attempt to address societal needs and issues? Second, stakeholder theorists suggest an organization’s social responsibility is achieved, in part, by paying attention to all stakeholders of the organization, stakeholders including the community. Using a narrative approach as a guide, this study addresses the question of whether organizations consider the community a stakeholder. In most cases, as the iv reader will see, the answer is yes. Yet, knowing organizations do consider the

certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation:

In the eye of the beholder? An investigation of student assessment in the creative arts in universities

Seeking synergy in SME financing: an examination of the dichotomy affecting banks and the needs of small-to-medium business enterprises (SMEs) in the Australian business banking context