Research Article
Alexandra D. Serdakova, Nataliya N. Drobysheva, Oksana V. Shiryaeva-Shiring, Alexander A. Evgrafov, Oksana K. Korobkova, Ekaterina G. Sokolova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 3, Article No: ep680
ABSTRACT
This study presents a systematic and scientific mapping of multimodal communication research conducted in higher education, examining the field’s thematic trends, intellectual structure, and future directions through combined bibliometric and content-based analysis, drawing on 63 peer-reviewed journal articles retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus published between 2016 and 2026. The selection process followed preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines, with studies screened against two eligibility criteria: situatedness in higher education and multimodal communication as a primary analytical focus. Frequency analysis was applied to annual publication trends, research methods, author keywords, journal distribution, and abstract vocabulary, while thematic classification organized the corpus into six clusters. Findings indicate a marked acceleration in publication output from 2022 onwards, with the period 2022-2025 accounting for 66.7% of all studies. Quantitative approaches constitute the largest methodological category (30.2%), followed by conceptual and theoretical works (28.6%) and qualitative studies (22.2%). Six thematic clusters were identified: language teaching and multimodal resources (38.1%), multimodal literacy and competence (20.6%), technology-enhanced multimodal learning (14.3%), classroom interaction and multimodal communication (14.3%), institutional and organizational communication (6.3%), and theoretical and methodological frameworks (6.3%). Abstract word analysis reveals a lexical shift from literacy- and theory-oriented vocabulary in the early period towards digital, interaction, and technology-centered terminology after 2021. Co-authorship analysis identifies a moderately collaborative field with an average of 2.78 authors per study. The future direction analysis revealed 34 research priorities under six thematic clusters, with theoretical/methodological development, multimodal assessment in higher education, and technology-enhanced learning being highlighted as the most prominent areas for future research. The findings collectively suggest that the field is transitioning from theoretical consolidation towards applied, empirically driven, and technology-informed inquiry, with institutional communication and artificial intelligence-mediated multimodal learning emerging as underexplored directions for future research.
Keywords: multimodal communication, higher education, systematic mapping review, bibliometric analysis, thematic trends
Research Article
Daniel Otto, Nadine Schroeder, Daniel Diekmann, Pia Sander
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep325
ABSTRACT
For almost 20 years, Open Educational Resources (OER) are an integral part of the debate about the digitisation of education. However, the empirical landscape of OER research is vivid and largely obscure. This article reviews the state of international empirical research on OER to reveal trends and gaps and, in this manner, identify possible desiderata for further research. We use a systematic mapping approach to examine the empirical English-speaking research landscape from 2015 to 2019. The results reveal that research primarily concentrates on the higher education sector while only a few studies are available for the school and other educational sectors. In terms of research methodologies, quantitative approaches are prevalent, with most of them being survey-based. The main research interests of the empirical studies lie in the perception of OER and the barriers to their use in educational practices. Open textbooks as a form of OER and their comparative cost advantages or qualitative comparability with traditional educational material constitute an emerging research field that is almost exclusively located in the U.S. Research gaps exist regarding the usability and user-friendliness of OER repositories. Addressing these gaps could support the numerous initiatives in different countries to establish and equip repositories. Additional gaps for empirical research were identified regarding the effects of the use of OER on pedagogical approaches and established educational practices.
Keywords: Open Educational Resources, OER, systematic mapping, empirical research, review