Google Scholar has released the 2019 version of its Scholar Metrics. It ranks journals and articles according to citations between 2014 and 2018.
Among social sciences, education proved to be a meaningful part of the academic conversation. The Computers & Education Journal ranked number 2 in the social sciences category, with an h5-index of 94 and the highest h5-median (135). This means 94 articles received at least 94 citations from other peer-reviewed journals in the 5 years between 2014 and 2018, half of them 135 earning 135 or more.
Other EdTech-related journals on the top-20 rank included Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Journal of Educational Psychology; the Information, Communication and Society journal; and the Journal of Vocational Behavior.
On lower rungs, the Education category featured Teaching and Teacher Education, and Review of Educational Research, among the highest-scoring publications.
These are the most cited articles on the Computers & Education journal, grouped by topic.
#6. ‘Active’ learning approaches: Flipped learning, Blended learning
It is one thing for a teacher to experiment with new technologies, or even give provide the flexibility for them to transform standard approaches and course formats. It is a whole different ballpark to adopt active learning as institutional prerogatives. In this policy-oriented paper, an initial framework is born and put in practice early on with 11 colleges in the U.S. On a companion paper, FLIP and FLIPPED are turned into acronyms for a research and design model.
- Blended learning in higher education: Institutional adoption and implementation (2014)
- Is FLIP enough? Or should we use the FLIPPED model instead? (2014)
- It’s not about seat time: Blending, flipping, and efficiency in active learning classrooms (2014)
#5. Cloud computing
There is no denying the radical influence the cloud continues to bring to LMS and the EdTech space. This article might not remain too relevant in topics and metodology, but it is essential academic reference. Unfortunately it does not offer much before the paywall access.
#4. Gamified assessments
If gamification has (or has it?) proven to be a good practice for learning experiences, what prevents us from implementing them during evaluations or assessments? This first exploration shows efficiencies gained in adults, and short positive responses on younger groups.
#3. Augmented reality
This 2014 research could have been done with the current year state of the art, and the results would arguably not differ too much: AR has a positive, if peripheral impact on learning experiences. The conclusion could not be more lukewarm: AR elicits “positive responses and acceptance attitudes.”
- Development and behavioral pattern analysis of a mobile guide system with augmented reality for painting appreciation instruction in an art museum (2014)
- Experimenting with electromagnetism using augmented reality: Impact on flow student experience and educational effectiveness (2014)
#2. Early childhood edTech
It continues to be a critical question: How early should young learners have access to technologies in the classroom? Some of these early papers remain relevant not because of their outcomes or methodologies, but for placing the right questions on the agenda. In this case, paths, policies and the role and experience of teachers are all part of a proper answer.
#1. Gamification
There is no denying that the future of evidence-applications in learning and virtual environments is tied to insight from games and play. Interestingly enough, the most popular research in the last 5 years does not bode well for the approach. A “longitudinal” (16-week long) study reports that “gamified students (using badges and a leaderboard) were less motivated, empowered, and satisfied.”
