Research trends in meaningful learning research on e‐learning and online education environments: A review of studies published in SSCI ‐indexed journals from 2003 to 2012

Background and objectives Innovative technologies, such as the Internet, provide teachers with many interesting and useful tools that can be used to improve their teaching and students’ learning (Martín-Blas & SerranoFernández, 2009). However, the introduction of e-learning technology in educational institutions is often complex, and educators do not always accept information and communication technologies (ICT) as expected (Sánchez-Franco, Martínez-López & Martín-Velicia, 2009). In addition, many online courses lack design considerations and are used as a mere delivery medium (Carr-Chellman & Duchastel, 2000; Chuang, 2010). Although the practice and theory of online education and technologies have been developing rapidly and dynamically, few studies have discussed effective online instructional methods for students (Tsai, 2010; Tsai, Shen & Tsai, 2011). Hence, if teachers are to be able to reduce risk when introducing such new aspects into the learning experience, this type of study is needed to provide a reference for them (Ellis, Hughes, Weyers & Riding, 2009). In online learning environments, meaningful learning (ML), which is active and constructive—taking place when people develop knowledge in response to their environment, reflecting on an activity and articulating what they have learned (Ferguson, 2011)—is considered an effective teaching method by educators (Ferguson, 2011; Geçer & Dağ, 2012).