Introduction

This introductory chapter has several purposes. In highlighting my “outsider’s perspective,” I seek to provide readers with an appreciation of how I discovered Merrill’s research, as well as the instructional designDesign field as a distinctive applied academic discipline, which I contrasted to the prevailing presuppositions of an essentially progressive pedagogicalPedagogical/pedagogy orientation that characterizes my underlying philosophy of adult basic education theory and practice. The introduction includes an overview and purpose statement of the book, my utilization of Merrill’s research in a graduate seminar I taught in adult education, a representation of my own pedagogicalPedagogical/pedagogy orientation, and a synopsis of the book’s substantive chapters. Concluding statements include additional commentary on the graduate seminar, my own epistemologicalEpistemological/epistemology orientation in a postpositivist research tradition, and my hopes for the book in enriching the field of instructional design theoryInstructional design theory, research, and practice as well as contributing to the broader field of educational studies.