A trend analysis on online learning communities

It is stated that the students complain about the online learning environments mostly because of the sense of being isolated. Belonging to a community is one of the critical variables for online learning environments. Many studies on the online learning community have been conducted around the world. This research aimed to analyze the studies according to variable frequency, work group, data collection tool, research methods and distribution of studies among countries. This study aims to evaluate the results of the publications that are found in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text with the keyword “classroom community” and that were published between 2008 and 2012. This study will give insight into the existing studies and their shortcomings and it will also provide guidance for further research.