Effectiveness Study on Online or Blended Language Learning Based on Student Achievement: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies

The ubiquitous impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have profoundly changed the education sector and marked research interest in online or blended learning can be witnessed. As a pervasive learning activity of paramount significance, online language learning has aroused widespread attention. Nonetheless, few systematic reviews concerning the effectiveness of online language learning have been published. With the help of CiteSpace, this study systematically investigated 103 included articles from the SSCI of empirical studies from 44 journals for the purpose of filling the research gap in this field, providing a better understanding of the research trends, exploring effective ways to implement online language courses, and testifying to the ability of CiteSpace to track research hotspots. The findings show that effectiveness studies on online language learning principally focus on assisted tools (42.72%), instructional approaches (36.89%), and specific courses (20.39%). Lack of adequate cooperation among research institutions and the dominant position of online English learning (82.52%) can be witnessed. Despite the small sample size of 103 included articles, the validation of CiteSpace in terms of tracking the research trends or hotspots is confirmed. However, the proportion of each research focus is not compatible with the results of a comprehensive full-text analysis. This literature review also probes into various methods to measure effectiveness more scientifically and effective ways to implement online language courses. Theoretical as well as practical implications and future research directions are clarified.