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

Abstract

Depending on the reference, the practice of K-12 online learning began sometime between 1991 and 1996. Yet two and a half to three decades later, there is still little research to describe the K-12 online or blended learning student experience, which has resulted in a lack of understanding of the actual instructional model, nature of the curriculum, and type and amount of support employed by K-12 distance, online, and blended learning programs. Further, much of the available research is atheoretical, methodologically questionable, contextually limited, and overgeneralized. All these factors make the K-12 distance, online, and blended learning research that does exist of little value in guiding practice. This manuscript examines the maturity of research in the field of K-12 distance, online, and blended learning, with the goal of providing researchers with meaningful impact on future practice.