Thematic Patterns in International Blended Learning Literature, Research, Practices, and Terminology

Abstract

The goal of this research was to discover and compare themes of the top blended learning (BL) articles from seven different regions of the world. Top cited articles in BL from these regions show strong similarities in research processes, practice, terminology, and focus. Small differences are apparent among the regions and top articles in general, but similar patterns demonstrate that themes might promote collaboration and exchange between regions and that the most cited articles from around the world could fit well within the topical, research, and publication practices of the field. Our results suggest that although different regions must have their own nuances and needs, they have much in common, with considerable potential to learn from one another and collaborate on shared interests. Previous research has studied the trends in top-cited blended learning (BL) research overall (Halverson, Graham, Spring, & Drysdale, 2012;Halverson, Graham, Spring, Drysdale, & Henrie, 2014). That these top-cited articles were predominantly drawn from North American publications generated questions about BL research in other regions which had not garnered enough citations to qualify for the top lists. We sought to compare regions on a more even base by applying the analysis methods of our earlier research to top-cited articles each from seven regions of the world as well as top-cited research spanning multiple regions.Recently authors Spring and Graham (2016) located the 10 most-cited BL articles from each worldwide region and analyzed the citation and publication patterns around the globe, as well as citing between top articles in order to compile a broad overview of connections between research in the worldwide BL community. The current research extends the analysis using similar methods to Halverson et al. (2014) and Drysdale et al. (2013). This study examines and documents

Preservice teachers perceptions about the use of blended learning in a science education methods course

“…There are numerous definitions used for blended learning (BL) environments in research (Graham, 2017). This paper is closely aligned with the idea that BL is a learning environment consisting of the planned usage of both face-to-face and online teaching environments in a pedagogically sound manner to allow for more active science learning during face to face class sessions (Picciano, 2009;Stein & Graham, 2014).…”

“…Thus, since students have specific reasons for enrolling in BL courses it is very important to study their perceptions of these courses after taking them. However, Graham (2017) found that 42.1% of all blended learning research studies focused on the cognitive and behavioural domains while only 25.4% of studies focused on areas such as student perceptions, experiences, and anticipations. Thus, there is a gap in the field in terms of student perceptions of BL courses.…”

International and Global Professional Developing

“…Despite this variety of potential, the adoption of BL for international education is still in the starting phase. In their review of BL worldwide, Spring and Graham (2017) report that there is a lack of connection between countries and regions in the educational literature. Yet, the potential of BL in developing countries has not been well explored.…”

Blended eLearning Systems in Nigerian Universities: A Context Specific Pedagogical Approach

“…Regardless of such debates, some have examined the research methodologies, frameworks, practices, and focus of blended learning research shown the evolution and divergence of the field and its discourses across different regions of the world (Spring and Graham, 2017). Others have examined how enhancement is quantified, the various design approaches used in ensuring and enabling the adoption and acceptance of technology, and how such claims can inform the practice of the field (Kirkwood and Price, 2014).…”