Abstract:

This work investigates the Portuguese scientific production published in journals indexed in SCOPUS and Web of Science under the topic of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the field of education. The main objective is to characterize the methodological approaches with special emphasis given to qualitative research. The articles have been categorized according to their methodological approaches (i.e., theoretical or empirical studies, including documental and non-documental – experimental, quasi-experimental and non-experimental). The abstracts have also been coded according to their main themes and operative verbs. After collecting all the available information, a database was created in a spreadsheet. One researcher read all the abstracts and decided whether the work was to be included or not in the corpus of analysis. After this, a second researcher reviewed the selection. Whenever an abstract did not present all the required information, the researchers tried to find the complete paper. If they failed to find it the record should be kept nonetheless. After the first researcher coded all the items, the second researcher reviewed the coding. When they disagreed, they discussed carefully the pros and cons and then adopted a solution; if the disagreement persisted they were expected to present their arguments to the senior researcher, who would decide the matter, but it has not been necessary to use this solution. Preliminary results reveal that methods are not always accurately described and that most works consist of non-experimental designs. Thus, more coherent and precise description of methods, especially when using qualitative analysis, is required. Given the perceived predominance of non-experimental approaches when studying ICT in the field of education, further studies must offer a comparative analysis of the results obtained with foreign production. Simultaneously, research must address the relationship between qualitative methods and sociological factors such as authors’ sex, institutional affiliation and cooperation, and publishing impact factor. The results will hopefully bring relevant insights to the Portuguese scientific community interested in studying Information and Communication Technologies in the field of education.

Keywords:

Research methods, Sistematic review, Information and Communication Technologies, Education