Analysis of the Methods and Research Topics in a Sample of the Brazilian Distance Education Publications, 1992 to 2007 |
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| Authors: | José Dutra de Oliveira Neto Elaine Maria dos Santos |
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| Institution: | 1. University of S?o Paulo , Brazil dutra@usp.br;3. University of S?o Paulo , Brazil |
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| Abstract: | Abstract The objective of this study was to identify the methodological approaches employed in a sample of Brazilian distance education scientific literature and compare with similar publications in the United States. Brazilian sample articles (N = 983) published in several journals and meetings were compared with a sample of articles published in The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE) from 1987 to 2006. A categorization system based on Gall, Gall, and Borg (2006 Gall, J. P., Gall, M. D. and Borg, W. R. 2007. Educational research: An introduction, Boston: Pearson. Google Scholar]) and Lee, Driscoll, and Nelson (2007) Lee, Y. and Driscoll, M. P. 2007. “Trends in research: A content analysis of major journals”. In Handbook of distance education, 2nd, Edited by: Moore, M. G. 31–41. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Google Scholar] was used. The methodological approach employed in the Brazilian sample was predominantly qualitative, and this feature remained largely unchanged over the past seven years. The predominant research method continues to be exploratory, followed by case studies. Of note, the most frequent research topic in AJDE articles was evaluation, contrasting with the predominant topic of management in Brazilian publications. |
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