Research Article
14 October 2021

A Systematic Literature Review of Online Learning Spanning 26 Years (1993–2018)

Publication: Journal of Education for Library and Information Science
Volume 64, Number 3

Abstract

This article aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive background for understanding current knowledge on online learning through a systematic literature review of the published literature in peer-reviewed English language journals. We reviewed 5,803 articles published over 26 years (1993–2018). We focused on the number of articles published, journals’ names, and overall research trends about online learning. We reviewed the growth and evolution of keywords, titles, and abstracts to develop an understanding of the growth and fall of trends in research on online learning. We discovered that the dominant trends in the published articles on online learning are learning, students, environment, courses, education, and teaching. The growing areas are online delivery, learning in online setting, teacher (teaching), and students (learners), and we discuss the gaps in the discipline that indicate a potential growth area for the future of the discipline including technology research.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Education for Library and Information Science
Journal of Education for Library and Information Science
Volume 64Number 3July 2023
Pages: 233 - 256

History

Received: 25 November 2020
Revision received: 6 May 2021
Accepted: 13 May 2021
Published ahead of print: 14 October 2021
Published in print: July 2023
Published online: 2 August 2023

Keywords:

  1. Online learning
  2. systematic literature review
  3. longitudinal analysis

Authors

Affiliations

Vandana Singh
Biography: Vandana Singh is an Associate Professor at the iSchool at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States. Her research focuses on the use of technology in various settings and includes Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Online Communities, Software Development, and Social Justice. Her research has been funded by federal agencies such as National Science Foundation (NSF), IMLS, and the United States Geological Society (USGS). Her research is published in top information science journals, national and international conferences, and books. Dr. Singh's research publications have received several awards at different venues, including best research paper awards. For more details about her research please visit: https://sis.utk.edu/vandana/research
Alexander Thurman
Biography: Alexander Thurman is a Research Librarian at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), Durham, North Carolina, United States. Mr. Thurman has experience in chemical, health, and academic literature searches with expertise in complex SQL/Oracle queries, database management, and data analysis. He has demonstrated retrieval of white and grey literature from multiple databases for assembling into a complete dataset and collaborating in a SCRUM environment. Mr. Thurman graduated Magna Cum Laude with a MS in Information Sciences and a Grad minor in Computational Science in 2020.

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Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 2023 64:3, 233-256

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