Online Teaching in K-12 Education in the United States: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The transition to fully or partially online instruction for K–12 students necessitated by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the current lack of understanding of practices that support K–12 student learning in online settings in emergency situations but also, more troublingly, in K–12 online teaching and learning more generally. A systematic review of literature regarding K–12 online teaching and learning in the United States was therefore conducted to begin to fill this gap and to inform the work of policy makers, researchers, teacher educators, teachers, and administrators as they negotiate the changing role of online instruction in our nation’s educational systems. The review revealed a set of contextual conditions that are foundational to student learning in K–12 online settings (prepared educators, technology access and autonomy, students’ developmental needs and abilities, and students’ self-regulated learning skills). The literature also pointed to seven pillars of instructional practice that support student learning in these settings (evidence-based course organization and design, connected learners, accessibility, supportive learning environment, individualization, active learning, and real-time assessment).

Blended learning in physical education: A systematic review

“…This review discovers that blended learning can be a challenge for K−12 students as they have poor self-control and are unfamiliar with the operation of online learning platforms, making it difficult for them to watch instructional videos independently before class. As a result, some articles report several suggestions for applying blended learning in the K-12 educational setting, including determining the duration of online learning based on student attention spans ( 44 ), designing simple and streamlined online courses to create organized learning environments that enable students to improve user experience and reduce cognitive load ( 45 ), connecting online learning content to student experiences ( 46 ), creating study groups in which the teacher sets a theme and the students participate in the learning in a group form to develop the awareness of active participation and the ability to collaborate ( 47 ), providing personalized support ( 48 ), and learning through games to develop skills and knowledge related to course objectives ( 49 ). One prominent suggestion by the reviewed articles is that applying blended learning allows for the facilitation of various types of interactions ( 50 ).…”

Native, addict, innovator: young teachers' digital competence in the post-COVID-19 instructional era

“…Hürsen (2012) also found that younger teachers with less teaching experience remained more positive towards the digitization of learning. In contrast, as Johnson et al. (2023) allude, the older or digital immigrant teachers may have confronted issues at a young age, and in the context of prevailing digital inequality, they may still have issues with access to digital resources and lack the capacity to use these tools effectively in teaching and learning.…”

“…In this regard, Hürsen (2012) also found that younger teachers with less teaching experience remained more positive. In contrast to digital natives, digital emigrants may confront issues because of their age, and in the context of prevailing digital inequality, they may still have issues with access to digital resources and lack the capacity to use these tools in teaching and learning (Johnson et al. , 2023).…”

“…A recent meta-analysis by Johnson et al. (2023) on online teaching in K–12 education informs about two key aspects related to effective engagement in and learning online.…”

“…In this regard, H€ ursen (2012) also found that younger teachers with less teaching experience remained more positive. In contrast to digital natives, digital emigrants may confront issues because of their age, and in the context of prevailing digital inequality, they may still have issues with access to digital resources and lack the capacity to use these tools in teaching and learning (Johnson et al, 2023). The absence of an organizational-level supportive environment and access to digital resources (Gallagher et al, 2019;Ismail et al, 2020;Johnson et al, 2023;Yu et al, 2018) may confront them with further challenges.…”