MACM: An Embarrassment of Riches in Search of Order
MACM:  An Embarrassment of Riches in Search of Order
A limitation of the Walberg model is the macro focus on monolithic domains, domains that fail to convey the richness, multivariate complexity, and specificity needed for scientifically-based applied research and intervention.   A  review of the literature reveals a burgeoning of MACM research during the past 30 years.  The primary MACM variables identified in the current review are listed and briefly defined in Table 1.  Table 1 reveals a richness of variables lurking beneath Walberg's broad domain of student characteristics. 
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A review of this extant literature reveals that most student characteristic related research has focused on single behaviors or traits in isolation, have studied the same characteristic at different levels of generality (e.g., motivation vs. intrinsic motivation), or have not been integrated into an overarching taxonomy or model.  The diversity of behaviors and traits listed in Table 1 suggests an “embarrassment of riches” in our understanding of MACM variables.