文章基本信息

标题：An investigation of distance education in North American research literature using co-word analysis
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作者：Albert Dieter Ritzhaupt ; Michelle Stewart ; Patryce Smith 等
期刊名称：The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
印刷版ISSN：1492-3831
出版年度：2010
卷号：11
期号：1
页码：37-60
语种：English
出版社：AU Press
摘要：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.
关键词：Distance Education;Co-Word Analysis;Similarity Index Analysis;Themes;Trends