![](https://editlib-media.s3.amazonaws.com/sources/CJLT.jpg)
Conducting a Multivocal Thematic Synthesis on an Extensive Body of Literature
ARTICLE
français, langue française/French Réaliser une synthèse thématique multivocale d’un vaste ensemble de documentation
Madelaine Befus
CJLT Volume 42, Number 2, ISSN 1499-6677 e-ISSN 1499-6677 Publisher: Canadian Network for Innovation in Education
Abstract
This paper will provide a methodology and progress report from a multivocal thematic synthesis being conducted on an extensive, diverse body of empirical studies. The study data includes a corpus of peer-reviewed empirical literature sharing a common reference published in English between 2000 and 2014. In this study, data to be synthesized share a common reference to the Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) seminal paper introducing the Community of Inquiry framework, one of the most influential distance and blended learning theories published (Halverson, Graham, Spring, Drysdale, & Henrie, 2013). The study has two deliverables: 1) a multivocal thematic synthesis analysing contexts, populations, learning and teaching environments, and aspects of learning being studying through the lens of the CoI framework; and 2) an online, open, dynamic compendium of all CoI empirical research citing the Garrison et al., 2000, seminal paper. The purpose of the study is two-fold: to bring systematization and organization to a large body of research to support the work of other researchers, practitioners, and policy makers; and to provide an up-to-date methodology framework for creating an online database from large bodies of literature with a common reference. The data used in the thematic synthesis study consisted of full-text copies of peer-reviewed research articles. The data was analysed using an open, constant-comparative, three-stage thematic synthesis methodology. As the procedures used to gather, organize, and archive the data in this study could be applied to any multivocal body of research, the methodological processes was documented in detail to provide a framework for future research and may serve as an exemplar for sharing research data as an open-access resource.
français, langue française/French:
Cet article offrira une méthodologie et un rapport sur la progression d’une synthèse thématique multivocale en cours de réalisation sur un vaste ensemble d’études empiriques variées. Les données d’étude comprennent un corpus de documents empiriques évalués par les pairs ayant une référence commune et publiés en anglais de 2000 à 2014. Dans cette étude, les données à être synthétisées ont en commun une référence à l’article phare de Garrison, Anderson et Archer (2000) ayant introduit le cadre de la communauté d’apprentissage, l’une des théories les plus influentes publiées sur l’apprentissage à distance et l’apprentissage mixte (Halverson, Graham, Spring, Drysdale et Henrie, 2013). L’étude vise deux réalisations : 1) une synthèse thématique multivocale analysant les contextes, les populations, les environnements d’apprentissage et d’enseignement, ainsi que les aspects de l’apprentissage étudiés dans l’optique du cadre de la communauté d’apprentissage; et (2) une collection en ligne, ouverte et dynamique, de toutes les études empiriques sur la communauté d’apprentissage citant l’article fondamental de Garrison et collègues (2000). L’étude a deux raisons d’être : systématiser et organiser un vaste ensemble de documents de recherche pour appuyer le travail d’autres chercheurs, praticiens et décideurs, et fournir un cadre méthodologique mis à jour pour la création d’une base de données en ligne à partir de vastes ensembles de documents ayant une référence commune. Les données utilisées dans la synthèse thématique sont formées des textes intégraux des articles de recherche évalués par les pairs. Les données ont été analysées à l’aide d’une méthode comparative constante et ouverte de synthèse thématique en trois phases. Comme les procédures utilisées pour recueillir, organiser et archiver les données dans cette étude pourraient être appliquées à tout ensemble de documentation multivocale, les processus méthodologiques ont été documentés en détail afin de fournir un cadre pour des recherches futures et peuvent servir d’exemple pour le partage de données de recherche comme ressource ouverte.
Citation
Befus, M. (2016). Conducting a Multivocal Thematic Synthesis on an Extensive Body of Literature. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie, 42(2),. Canadian Network for Innovation in Education. Retrieved August 9, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/178102/.
References
View References & Citations Map- Alamu, J., Swan, K., & Schroeder, R. (2013). Does the use of online technology improve student’s performance in epidemiology? E-Mentor, 1(48), 84–86.
- Alkali, Y.E., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2004). Experiments in digital literacy. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(4), 421–429.
- Arbaugh, J.B., Cleveland-Innes, M., Diaz, S.R., Garrison, D.R., Ice, P., Richardson, J.C., & Swan, K.P. (2008). Developing a community of inquiry instrument: Testing a measure of the community of inquiry framework using a multi-institutional sample. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3), 133–136.
- Ayyavoo, G.R. (2013). Using online pedagogy to explore student experiences of sciencetechnology-society-environment (STSE) issues in a secondary science classroom
- Barnett-Page, E., & Thomas, J. (2009). Methods for the synthesis of qualitative research: a critical review. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 9(1), 59.
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
- Cubric, M. (2013). An agile method for teaching agile in business schools. The International Journal of Management Education, 11(3), 119–131.
- Daspit, J.J., & D’Souza, D.E. (2012). Using the community of inquiry framework to introduce wiki environments in blended-learning pedagogies: Evidence from a business capstone course. Academy of Management Learning& Education, 11(4), 666–683.
- Dikkers, A.G., Whiteside, A.L., & Lewis, S. (2013). Virtual high school teacher and student reactions to the social presence model. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 13(3), 156–170.
- Dunlap, J.C., & Lowenthal, P.R. (2009). Tweeting the night away: Using twitter to enhance social presence. Journal of Information Systems Education, 20(2), 129–135.
- Fink, A.G. (2013). Conducting research literature reviews: From the internet to paper (4th ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc.
- Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105.
- Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2010). The first decade of the community of inquiry framework: A retrospective. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(1–2), 5–9.
- Glass, G.V. (1976). Primary, secondary, and meta-analysis of research. Educational Researcher, 5(10), 3–8. Scholar©. (N.D.) [Search Engine]. Retrieved from http://scholar.google.ca/
- Gorsky, P., & Blau, I. (2009). Online teaching effectiveness: A tale of two instructors. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(3). Copyright Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, C.C-42. Retrieved from http://lawslois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-42/page-19.html #docCont
- Gupta, N., & Bharadwaj, S.S. (2013). Agility in business school education through richness and reach: A conceptual model. Education+ Training, 55(4/5), 370–384.
- Halverson, L.R., Graham, C.R., Spring, K.J., & Drysdale, J.S. (2012). An analysis of high impact scholarship and publication trends in blended learning. Distance Education, 33(3), 381–413.
- Halverson, L.R., Graham, C.R., Spring, K.J., Drysdale, J.S., & Henrie, C.R. (2013). A thematic analysis of the most highly cited scholarship in the first decade of blended learning research. The Internet and Higher Education, 20, 20–34.
- Harzing, A. (2013). A preliminary test of Google Scholar as a source for citation data: A longitudinal study of Nobel Prize winners-Springer. Scientometrics, 94(3), 1057–1075.
- Harzing, A.W. (2014). Publish or Perish. Retrieved from http://www.harzing.com/pop.htm
- Ice, P., Burgess, M., Beals, J., & Staley, J. (2012). Aligning curriculum and evidencing learning effectiveness using semantic mapping of learning assets. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 7(2), 26-31. Doi:10.3991/ijet.v7i2.1972
- Jimoyiannis, A., & Angelaina, S. (2012). Towards an analysis framework for investigating students’ engagement and learning in educational blogs. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(3), 222–234.
- Ke, F., & Chávez, A.F. (2013). Inclusive Design of Online Teaching and Learning. In F. Ke & A.F. Chávez (Eds.), Web-Based Teaching and Learning across Culture and Age (pp. 129–141). New York, N.Y.: Springer. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/chapter/
- Lambert, J., & Fisher, J. (2009). Community building in a wiki-based distance education course. In ED-MEDIA 2009 (Vol. 2009, pp. 1527–1531). Honolulu, HI: AACE. Retrieved from
- Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: John Wiley& Sons.
- American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
- Rourke, L., & Kanuka, H. (2009). Learning in communities of inquiry: A review of the literature (Winner 2009 Best Research Article Award). The Journal of Distance Education/ Revue de l’Éducation À Distance, 23(1), 19–48.
- Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8(1), 45.
- Thomson, D.L. (2010). Beyond the classroom walls: Teachers’ and students’ perspectives on how online learning can meet the needs of gifted students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 21(4), 662–712,754.
- Tomberg, V. (2013). Learning flow management and teacher control in online personal learning environments (Doctoral Dissertation). Tallinn University, Estonia. Retrieved from http://e-ait.tlulib.ee/331/1/tomberg_vladimir2.pdf
- Wilson, G., & Stacey, E. (2004). Online interaction impacts on learning: Teaching the teachers to teach online. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 20(1), 33–48.
- Zhan, Z., & Mei, H. (2013). Academic self-concept and social presence in face-to-face and online learning: Perceptions and effects on students’ learning achievement and satisfaction across environments. Computers& Education, 69, 131–138.
These references have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. Signed in users can suggest corrections to these mistakes.
Suggest Corrections to References