Research trends in Language MOOC Studies: A Systematic Review of the Published Literature (2012-2018)

This study aims to explore the current published research on Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs), outlining the types of papers, countries where studies were performed and institutions devoted to this field. Also, it intends to classify the reviewed literature following a general categoriz...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sallam, Marwan H., Martín Monje, Elena María, Li, Yan
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Repositorio:e-spacio. Repositorio Institucional de la UNED
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:e-spacio.uned.es:20.500.14468/30874
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14468/30874
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:5505.10 Filología
5701 Lingüística aplicada
MOOCs
Language MOOCs (Language Massive Open Online Courses, or LMOOCs)
systematic review
Descripción
Sumario:This study aims to explore the current published research on Language Massive Open Online Courses (LMOOCs), outlining the types of papers, countries where studies were performed and institutions devoted to this field. Also, it intends to classify the reviewed literature following a general categorization of MOOCs (Liyanagunawardena, Adams, & Williams, 2013), and to identify the main trends and topics of interest for LMOOC researchers. Results show that there is still a lack of LMOOC-related articles in CALL (computer assisted language learning) journals, since most of the publications in the period reviewed (2012-18) are conference papers. The country in which most studies have been done so far is Spain and Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) is currently the most active institution in this area. Within the taxonomy established, the most popular categories of studies focused on LMOOC participants or providers and case studies. Systematic review of the published literature indicated that research trends in LMOOCs studies comprise: 1) conceptualization of LMOOCs and their distinctive features; 2) attempts to find the most suitable model for language teaching and learning beyond the xMOOC/cMOOC dichotomy; 3) suitability of LMOOCs for languages for specific purposes (LSP) courses; 4) focus on the learners and their motivation and experience throughout the course; 5) reflection on the new role of the teacher; 6) instructional design and how it affects participants’ learning and possible attrition; and 7) importance of social learning in LMOOCs. Nevertheless, LMOOCs is still an emerging field in need of further serious studies.