Abstract:
Although blended learning in higher educat ion is well researched, the
emphasis on blended learning in teacher education is relatively limited.
Blended teacher education is an emerging approach within the State
higher education sector in Sri Lanka. This article presents a review of
empirical studies from recent global literature on blended learning in
teacher education in the higher education sector. The review addresses
three research questions: a) the nature of the research publications,
b) themes and sub-themes addressed in the studies and c) future
directions for the design of blended learning and research. With a
systematic protocol of selection and a set of inclusion and exclusion
criteria, 54 empirical research articles were selected as the sample for
this state-of-the-art review. Twenty-four countries were represented
in the sample. The majority of the articles were on pre-service teacher
education and the research design commonly used was quantitative. A
thematic analysis of the research articles identified six broad themes.
The discussion on each theme and its sub-themes provides lessons
from global research on blended learning and the transfer of knowledge.
Future research, if focused more on interventionist designs, would help
develop successful student-centered practices in blended learning for
teacher education within higher education.
