A systematic review of research methods and topics of the empirical MOOC literature (2014-2016)

This study explores the research paradigms and topics of MOOCs to gain a deeper understanding of the MOOC phenomenon by reviewing 146 empirical studies of MOOCs published from October 2014 to November 2016. The results show that: (a) most studies used quantitative research methods followed by mixed research methods and qualitative research methods, (b) the most frequently adopted data collection method was survey, followed by platform database, interviews, and discussion forum, (c) more than half of the collected studies used at least two data collection methods such as survey and interview, (d) the majority of researchers used descriptive statistics to analyze data, followed by inferential statistics and content analysis, and (e) the research focus was mainly on students, followed by design-focused, context and impact-focused, and instructor-focused. Among the foci of that research, learner retention and motivation were the most mentioned, followed by learner experience and satisfaction, assessment, and instructional design.