An Investigation of Distance Education in North American Research Literature Using Co-Word Analysis

Autor/inn/en	Ritzhaupt, Albert D.; Stewart, Michelle; Smith, Patryce; Barron, Ann E.
Titel	An Investigation of Distance Education in North American Research Literature Using Co-Word Analysis
Quelle	In: International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11 (2010) 1, S.37-60 (24 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1492-3831
Schlagwörter	Distance Education; Educational Research; Research Reports; Journal Articles; Literature Reviews; Educational Trends; Foreign Countries; Content Analysis; Computer Uses in Education; Internet; Computational Linguistics; Meta Analysis; Canada; North America; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Bildungsforschung; Pädagogische Forschung; Research report; Forschungsbericht; Journal article; Zeitschriftenaufsatz; Bildungsentwicklung; Ausland; Inhaltsanalyse; Computernutzung; Linguistics; Computerlinguistik; Meta-analysis; Metaanalyse; Kanada; Nordamerika; USA
Abstract	The field of distance education is composed of a multiplicity of topics leading to a vast array of research literature. However, the research does not provide a chronological picture of the topics it addresses, making it difficult to develop an overview of the evolution and trends in the literature. To address this issue, a co-word analysis was performed on the abstracts of research articles found in two prominent North American research journals (N = 517), the "American Journal of Distance Education" and the "Journal of Distance Education," between 1987 and 2005. The analysis yielded underlying trends and themes for three different periods (pre-Web, emerging Web, and maturing Web). Additionally, similarity index analyses were conducted across time periods. The pre-Web era was characterized by the need for quality and development. The emerging Web era was characterized by the development of theory. The maturing Web era was characterized by interaction and the use of tools for communication. The results demonstrate that the North American distance education research literature is characterized by having few consistent and focused lines of inquiry. Conclusions are provided. (Contains 3 tables and 10 figures.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Athabasca University. 1200, 10011 - 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3S8, Canada. Tel: 780-421-2536; Fax: 780-497-3416; e-mail: irrodl@athabascau.ca; Web site: http://www.irrodl.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10