Visualization of the research trends on online learning communities

Öz

Online learning communities are seen to revolutionize educational environments by transforming traditional teaching methods, enhancing student experiences and promoting interactive learning environments. This study aims to visualize research on online learning communities in the Scopus database using bibliometric analysis. To achieve the study's aim, bibliometric data from 646 articles, conference proceedings, and review studies published between 1998 and 2023 in the Scopus database subjected to analysis and visualisation using VOSviewer. According to the research findings, the studies were produced by 1702 researchers from 66 different countries. The United States of America was identified as the country with the highest number of publications. The years with the most research were 2021 and 2023. Central China University was identified as the institution that contributed the most to the literature. The International Journal of Web Based Communities was identified as the journal with the highest number of articles. The Lecture Notes in Computer Science conference was identified as the conference with the highest number of papers. Analysis of the keywords in the studies revealed that the concepts of online learning communities, learning communities, social presence, online learning, communities of practice, and collaborative learning were prominent. The study employs bibliometric techniques to provide insights into the current state of online learning communities, map the intellectual structure of this field of study, and identify potential research gaps, thereby guiding future research. The findings of this analysis are instructive in terms of better understanding the dynamics of the development of online learning communities, as well as guiding educators, researchers, and policy makers in making their decision-making processes more informed.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Online learning communities
• bibliometric analysis
• visualization

Çevrimiçi öğrenme toplulukları üzerine yapılan araştırma eğilimlerinin görselleştirilmesi

Öz

Çevrimiçi öğrenme topluluklarının geleneksel öğretim yöntemlerini dönüştürmek, öğrenen deneyimlerini geliştirmek ve etkileşimli öğrenme ortamlarını teşvik etmek suretiyle eğitim ortamlarında devrim yarattığı görülmektedir. Bu araştırmada çevrimiçi öğrenme toplulukları ile ilgili Scopus veri tabanında bulunan çalışmaların bibliyometrik analiz yapılarak görselleştirilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırmanın amacını gerçekleştirmek için Scopus veri tabanından ulaşılan, 1998-2023 yılları arasında yayımlanmış toplam 646 adet makale, konferans bildirisi ve derleme çalışmalarının bibliyometrik verileri, VOSviewer kullanılarak analiz edilmiş ve görselleştirilmiştir. Araştırma bulgularına göre çalışmalar, 66 farklı ülkeden 1702 araştırmacı tarafından üretilmiştir. En fazla yayın yapan ülkenin ABD, en çok araştırma yapılan yılların 2021 ile 2023, alanyazına en çok katkıda bulunan kurumun Merkez Çin Üniversitesi, en fazla makale yayınlanan derginin International Journal of Web Based Communities ve en fazla bildirinin yayınlandığı konferansın ise Lecture Notes in Computer Science olduğu görülmüştür. Çalışmalarda kullanılan anahtar kelimeler incelendiğinde; çevrimiçi öğrenme toplulukları, öğrenme toplulukları, sosyal bulunurluk, çevrimiçi öğrenme, uygulama toplulukları ve işbirlikçi öğrenme kavramlarının ön plana çıktığı görülmüştür. Araştırmada bibliyometrik teknikler kullanılarak, çevrimiçi öğrenme toplulukları alanının mevcut durumu hakkında değerli bilgiler sağlanması, alanın entelektüel yapısının haritalandırılması ve gelecekteki araştırmalara rehberlik edebilecek boşlukların belirlenmesi amaçlamaktadır. Bu analizin bulguları; çevrimiçi öğrenme topluluklarının gelişim dinamiklerinin daha iyi anlaşılması, aynı zamanda eğitimciler, araştırmacılar ve politika yapıcıların karar verme süreçlerinin daha bilinçli hale getirilmesi açısından yol gösterici nitelik taşımaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çevrimiçi öğrenme toplulukları
• bibliyometrik analiz
• görselleştirme

Kaynakça

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