Irrelevant, overlooked, or lost? Trends in 20 years of uncited and low cited K-12 online learning articles

Virtual Paper ID: 56438
  1. aaa
    Karen Arnesen
    Brigham Young University
  2. Shea Walters
    George Mason University
  3. aaa
    Michael Barbour
    Touro University California
  4. aaa
    Jered Borup
    George Mason University

Abstract: We analyzed the uncited or low cited articles from Arnesen et al. (2019), who examined the trends in K-12 online learning articles from 1994 to 2016. We identified 62 articles that had five or fewer citations, and analyzed them for trends in authorship, publication outlets, dates of publication, and topics that could help explain their low citation numbers. We also analyzed topics to see what contribution they might have made and can still make to the field. We found that the majority of these articles had been published in many different, less well-known journals. We also found that these articles may have attracted fewer readers because they addressed topics that seemed to have a narrow focus, often outside of the US. The articles were also authored by both well-known researchers and one-time authors. What we did not find were uninteresting, poorly researched, or irrelevant articles. Many of the articles described and discussed programs that grappled with and overcame some of the same challenges online learning still faces today: issues of interaction, community, technology, management, etc.. Some of the early articles gave interesting insights into the history of the field, especially as it involved rural learners and programs. Others addressed less mainstream but still interesting topics such as librarians in online learning, cross-border AP history classes, policies that helped or hindered the growth of online learning, and practical considerations of cost and access.

Topic

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