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

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed a subset of uncited or low cited articles from the data reported in Arnesen, Hveem, Short, West, and Barbour (2019), who examined the trends in K-12 online learning articles from 1994 to 2016. We identified 62 articles that had 5 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 of K-12 online learning. 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 United States. The articles were also authored by both well-known researchers in the field as well as a number of one-time authors. What we did not find were articles that were uninteresting, poorly researched, or irrelevant. 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 K-12 online learning, 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.

The Canary in the Mine: Remote Learning in the Time of COVID-19

“…Peter Drucker (1973) spoke about looking for the opportunity in a crisis. Researchers and policy makers identified problems with technology for the past thirty years: management issues, lack of meaningful interaction, and need for research-based instructional practices (Arnesen, Walters, Borup, & Barbour, 2020). There is concern student safety from neglect and abuse will become invisible online (Tysinger, Tysinger, & Diamanduros, 2016).…”

Misbehaving Toddler or Moody Teenager: Examining the Maturity of the Field of K-12 Online Learning

“…The complete data set of the 356 articles used by Arnesen and her colleagues is available for download at https://tinyurl.com/K12OnlineLearningData 4 See Arnesen, Walters,Barbour, & Borup (2020) for an analysis of these uncited and low cited articles.5 The Research Clearinghouse for K-12 Blended and Online Learning is available at https://k12onlineresearch.org/ and is described as "a repository of references to research articles and other publications from the field of K-12 online and blended learning. "…”

How do Cooperation and Scientific Research Influence Drug Development? The Case of Cancer Disease

“…Some researchers also support that high-impact research leads to the success of drug development (Magazzini et al, 2012). However, research with a low impact does not mean low scientific quality; it just means this research is not mainstream and is habitually ignored in the scientific field (Arnesen et al, 2020). Some low-impact research requires a long period to achieve an impact (van Raan, 2021) which is a common phenomenon in the medical field (e.g., Ke, 2018;Haghani & Varamini, 2021).…”