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M. David Merrill


M. David Merrill (Marriner David Merill) is an education researcher specializing in instructional design and technology.

Merrill was born on March 27, 1937. After completing high school, he was involved in missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. He is married to Kate Merrill and together they have nine children and 39 grandchildren. He currently lives in Hawaii and teaches online courses at Brigham Young University.

In 1961, Merrill earned a Bachelor of Arts in secondary education from Brigham Young University. He earned an MA and a Ph.D from the University of Illinois in 1964.

Merrill has been a faculty member at numerous universities during his extensive academic career:

Merrill's research has helped lead to the development of three important theories that underpin the discipline of Instructional Design and Technology today: The Component Display Theory, Instructional Transaction Theory and the First Principles of Instruction.

The Component Display Theory classifies learning into two dimensions: content and performance. Merrill developed a performance/content matrix which can be used to ascertain the levels of performance that is required for an area of content. The dimension of content consist of four areas: facts, procedures, concepts and principles; while the performance dimension consists of remembering, using and finding. The component display theory can be used to design instruction for any level of the cognitive domain and it provides a basis for lesson design in computer-based learning systems. In 1994, Merrill revised the original component display theory and the focus shifted towards a more macro perspective. The emphasis shifted from lesson towards general course structure and from forms to instructional transactions.

The First Principles of Instruction is an instructional theory that takes into consideration many instructional theories and models. It includes as set of inter-related principles – task/problem-centered, activation, demonstration, application and integration. These principles can help instructional designers develop instructional materials that can enhance the instructional and learning process. It is a task-centered instructional theory and as such emphasis is placed on the use of real-world problems or task in the instructional process.


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