A theoretical framework on open and distance learning

Abstract

Many studies have been carried out targeting Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and related fields. Thanks to the rapid development in technology, which can be a common ground for many fields, interdisciplinary studies among various fields have gained importance resulting in integration of different concepts both into ODL and other fields. With this in mind the purpose of this study is to investigate the main domains of ODL by categorizing research terms and issues, which may lead to a theoretical framework. In this study ten peer-reviewed journals were selected to investigate. 584 research articles published in these journals from 2009 to 2014 have been analyzed and categorized. According to the study, technology, pedagogy, theory, policy, accessibility, design, environment and management domains emerged. Also articles were analyzed for TF-IDF scores according to years and n-grams were created. The study concludes that although there have been many new and ongoing studies in the field of ODL, the field of ODL has been growing needing novelties in research, theory and application of ODL.