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Research methodology and issues in e-learning

Research methodology and issues in e-learning. Chin-Chung Tsai National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan. Outline. Introduction Research purposes Methods Results and Discussion Implication and Conclusions Limitation of the Research. Introduction.

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Research methodology and issues in e-learning

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  1. Research methodology and issues in e-learning Chin-Chung TsaiNational Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

  2. Outline • Introduction • Research purposes • Methods • Results and Discussion • Implication and Conclusions • Limitation of the Research

  3. Introduction • Content analysis and citation analysis of published articles in academic journals has been conducted in a variety of professional fields. We felt that it was necessary to conduct a content analysis for the reference of future studies which are interested in related issues. • Articles with more citation frequencies are usually those that are better recognized by others in related fields. They probably present more fundamental ideas about the issues for future research.

  4. Introduction • An analysis of technology-enhanced or e-learning studies from a cognitive perspective is quite essential to acquire a better understanding of how advanced technology may help learning processes. • Wentling et al. (2000) suggest that “e-learning is the acquisition and use of knowledge distributed and facilitated primarily by electronic means” .

  5. Research purposes • The purpose of the paper was to investigate the research trends in the field of cognition in e-learning. • The research questions addressed by this study were : • What percentage of the articles published in these journals were related to cognition in e-learning?

  6. Research purposes • What research topics related to cognition in e-learning were published in the journals in these five years? • What were the relatively popular research topics related to cognition in e-learning published in the journals? • What were the highly cited research articles in the SSCI related to cognition in e-learning in these journals? • What was the trend of the published cognition in e-learning articles in these five journals in recent years?

  7. Methods • This study analyzed papers published by five major educational journals that are categorized as being educational-technology-related in the SSCI from 2001-2005: • British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET) • Innovations in Education and Teaching  International (IETI) • Computers and Education (CE) • Educational Technology Research & Development (ETR&D) • Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (JCAL).

  8. Methods • This study only analyzed papers that were identified as “articles” in the SSCI. Other types of papers such as “book reviews”, “reviews”, and “editorial materials” were all excluded from this study. • Excluding these other types of papers, there were a total of 1,027 articles published by these five journals from 2001 to 2005. • Based on these articles, a content analysis was carried out, using article abstracts and publication information indexed in the SSCI. • This procedure identified 444 articles that were judged to be relevant to the topic of cognition in e-learning.

  9. Methods • Based on the methodology of content analysis, the research topics were categorized related to cognition in e-learning into seven tentative categories: A. Motivation B. Information Processing C. Instructional approaches D. Learning environment E. Prior Knowledge F. Metacognition G. Cognitive psychology characteristics • For each category, some sub-categories were classified.

  10. Methods • In order to identify articles of higher quality or impact, the 444 related articles were further analyzed by their citation counts in the SSCI (as at October, 17, 2006). • Three articles with the highest citation counts in each research topic category were selected for this analysis. Because several of the articles discussed topics from several categories, a total of 16 articles were finally chosen. • Their participants, research settings, research design type, and research methods (data collection and data analysis) were further analyzed in detail.

  11. Outline • Introduction • Research purpose • Methods • Results and Discussion • Percentage of articles related to cognition in e-learning • Research topic analysis • An analysis of highly cited articles • Implication and Conclusion • Limitation of the Research

  12. Percentage of articles related to cognition in e-learning（2001-2005） • Almost half (43.2%, 444 of 1,027 articles) of the articles were related. • IETI had 58.4%, BJET had 46.8%, JCAL had 42.5%, CE had 37.1%, and ETR&D had 28% • 2003 had the highest percentage (49.8%), while 2002 had the least (37.4%).

  13. Percentage of articles related to cognition in e-learning（2001-2005）

  14. Percentage of articles related to cognition in e-learning（2001-2005） 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total BJET 24/47 (51.1%) 18/54 (33.3%) 25/52 (48.1%) 30/56 (53.6%) 41/86 (47.7%) 138/295 (46.8%) IETI 16/37 (43.2%) 20/32 (62.5%) 25/34 (73.5%) 20/30 (66.7%) 13/28 (46.4%) 94/161 (58.4%) CE 16/42 (38.1%) 19/50 (38.0%) 20/46 (43.5%) 16/47 (34.0%) 15/47 (31.9%) 86/232 (37.1%) ETR&D 7/22 (31.8%) 6/30 (20.0%) 8/26 (30.8%) 7/21 (33.3%) 7/26 (26.9%) 35/125 (28%) JCAL 23/43 (53.5%) 16/45 (35.6%) 24/47 (51.1%) 14/41 (34.2%) 14/38 (36.8%) 91/214 (42.5%) Total 86/191 (45%) 79/211 (37.4%) 102/205 (49.8%) 87/195 (44.6%) 90/225 (40%) 444/1027 (43.2%)

  15. Research Topic analysis (2001-2005) • The three most published research topics are: • learning environment-interactive learning environment (110) • instructional approaches-collaborative learning (92) • metacognition-perception and awareness (75). • As the concepts of active learning and lifelong learning have become more and more popular and important nowadays, the research topic of metacognition requires more attention.

  16. Category Sub-category Frequency Count Category Sub-category Frequency Count A. Motivation Beliefs 31 D. Learning Environment Interactive Learning Environment 110 Attitudes 65 Learning community 42 Behavioral change 28 E. Prior Knowledge Technology knowledge 15 B. Information Processing Individual difference 25 Technology experience 32 Information seeking 19 F. Meta- cognition Planning 14 Information management 20 Visualization 13 Critical thinking 19 Perception & awareness 75 Decision making 4 Self-evaluation 26 Problem solving 11 G. Cognitive Psychology Characteristics Schemata 10 C. Instructional Approaches Cooperative learning 21 Concept map 18 Collaborative learning 92 Mental Model 7 Contextual learning 26 Cognitive load 14 Situated learning 16 Cognitive style 23 Problem-based learning 36 Frequencies of cognition category and sub-category

  17. Research Topic analysis (2001-2005) A: Motivation B: Information Processing C: Instructional Approaches D: Learning Environment E: Prior Knowledge F: Metacognition G: Cognitive Psychology Characteristics Category Journal A B C D E F G BJET 8.47% 5.42% 11.53% 13.22% 4.35% 13.22% 8.81% IETI 8.7 % 4.97% 26.09% 19.88% 4.97% 18.63% 4.97% CE 10.78% 12.07% 16.81% 14.22% 3.44% 9.91% 3.88% ETR&D 8.00% 7.2% 10.40% 9.6% 2.40% 8.8% 8.00% JCAL 11.68% 12.15% 14.95% 13.08% 3.27% 8.88% 7.94%

  18. Outline • Introduction • Research purposes • Methods • Results and Discussion • Percentage of articles related to cognition in e-learning • Research topic analysis • An analysis of highly cited articles • Implication and Conclusions • Limitation of the Research

  19. An analysis of high-citation papers

  20. An analysis of high-citation papers(continued)

  21. An analysis of high-citation papers(continued)

  22. An analysis of high-citation papers(continued)

  23. An analysis of highly cited articles：Topics • The most highly cited articles fall into the research categories of: • “Information processing/instructional approaches” (Oliver & Omari, 2001; citation counts = 18) • “Information processing/cognitive psychology characteristics” (Ford & Chen, 2001; citation counts = 18) • “Motivation” (Tsai, Lin & Tsai, 2001; citation counts = 17) • “Instructional Approaches”, “Information Processing” and “Motivation” may be perceived as the research foundation for e-learning studies.

  24. An analysis of highly cited articles：Participants and Research Setting • College students (38%) and students in elementary and secondary schools (38%) were the most popular participants among the 16 articles. • It is reasonable to suggest that future studies should pay more attention to adult learners outside of formal school environments.

  25. An analysis of highly cited articles：Research Design • These papers were classified into three major types: • Experimental research • Descriptive research(10) • Developmental research • Descriptive research can better describe the complicated relationships between the different variables involved in a certain situation.

  26. An analysis of highly cited articles：Data Collection • More than half of the studies (ten articles) used the questionnaire as their primary data collection technique or as one of their data collection methods. • However, there is also a clear trend that many studies in this field used learners’ log files or online messages as the data sources for analysis.

  27. An analysis of highly cited articles：Data Analysis • Among the 16 studies: • Seven used both descriptive and statistical analysis to analyze data • Five utilized descriptive analysis • Online technology or databases used in e-learning can keep records about the learners’ learning processes (e.g. discourse, online interactions).

  28. An analysis of highly cited articles：Data Analysis • Therefore, it is more convenient for researchers to carry out discourse or interpretative research in online environments.

  29. Outline • Introduction • Research purposes • Methods • Results and Discussion • Implication and Conclusion • Limitation of the Research

  30. Implication and Conclusions • It is suggested that future studies focus more on adult learners outside of formal school settings. • Some of the highly-cited articles reviewed in this paper have used mixed method research (e.g. Lazonder, Wilhelm & Ootes, 2003; Zurita & Nussbaum, 2004). It may become a major trend in this research field.

  31. Implication and Conclusions • Because online technology or databases in e-learning keep records of learners’ learning processes, it allows researchers to make interpretations based on log files, discourse, or interaction records. It seems that the new study field of e-learning has brought researchers new methods of data collection. • How to maintain and enhance students’ learning motivation and teachers’ teaching motivation in this constantly changing educational environment will be an essential issue for future studies.

  32. Limitation of the Research • It is suggested that a combination of citation analysis and other analysis techniques can be applied in future studies in this domain. • This study focused primarily on English-based SSCI journals and articles.

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