Unpacking conceptual elements of smart learning in the Korean scholarly discourse

This study is a descriptive content analysis of “smart learning” as defined and conceptualized by Korean educational researchers from 2010 to 2018. The purpose of research is to examine the smart learning literature for the core conceptual elements that ran through the scholarly discourse of “smart learning” in South Korea; to understand how the three elements of smart learning environment, pedagogy, and learner, are represented in those definitions and elucidate some notable trends in its conceptual development throughout the years. We utilized Google Scholar, Korean Citation Index, and RISS to collect relevant scholarly publications written in Korean and English text. We identified 37 publications that included either an explicitly stated definition of smart learning or included a quality statement that clearly describes what constitutes smart learning. We initially used an inductive coding technique and identified repeated keywords among the definitions of “smart learning.” Later we applied the three elements of smart learning to draw further interpretations. Our data analysis generated five major themes: (1) Smart learning environments is a dominating element in the discourse; (2) Enriched conceptual exploration of smart learning pedagogies; (3) Dwindling interest in smart learners; (4) Conceptual ambiguity lingers in the smart learning discourse; (5) Paths of discoursal development vary across the three domains of smart learning. We conclude that our findings offer an important insight to the Korean and international scholarly discourse on the current dynamics of three essential elements of smart learning.