Appraising research on personalized learning: Definitions, theoretical alignment, advancements, and future directions

TLDR

Personalized learning has emerged with many definitions, yet key challenges remain, including technology integration, learner agency, and a lack of consistent theoretical foundations. This special issue surveys PL research across subjects and proposes future directions such as adopting a theory of change, employing design‑based research, conducting intensive classroom studies, and emphasizing student ownership. The issue’s articles are framed by their alignment to existing learning theories, the instructional design features that tailor learning to individual characteristics, and the links between design choices and educational outcomes. The authors identify critical gaps in PL research and recommend advancing theory through focused, iterative, and student‑centered studies.

Abstract

This article introduces a special issue comprising research on efforts to personalize learning in different academic subjects. We first consider the emergence of personalized learning (PL) and the myriad of definitions that describe its essential features. Thereafter, we introduce the articles in the special issue by examining their alignment to extant theories of learning, the instructional design features that personalize the learning experience based on a learner characteristic, and the relationships between PL design and outcomes achieved in an educational context. Based on observations of contemporary PL research, we identify key issues to be addressed by the field and recommendations for future researchers to undertake to advance a PL theory. Chief among issues with PL are the role of technology, the agency of the learner, and the absence of a consistent theoretical grounding to motivate PL design choices. Future directions that would advance PL include the adoption of a theory of change in PL design, a design-based research approach to refine PL initiatives, more intensive and iterative research in authentic classroom contexts, and a greater focus on student input into and ownership of the PL experience.