Huang, Ronghuai;
Tlili, Ahmed;
Liu, Dejian;
Xu, Lin;
Guerriero, Sonia;
Van Herwegen, Jo;
Kucirkova, Natalia;
(2025)
What is the Science of Learning? a comprehensive review and analysis of the existing definitions.
Smart Learning Environments
, 12
(1)
, Article 66. 10.1186/s40561-025-00418-w.
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Abstract
With the increased interest in Science of Learning (SoL) to enhance learning experiences and outcomes, several SoL definitions have been proposed from different fields and research backgrounds. This has created some ambiguity about what SoL is and how it can contribute to the educational field. To address this research issue, this study conducts a literature review of the different SoL definitions presented in the literature between 2000 and 2024. It then analyzes how these definitions evolved over time in terms of the mentioned fields, involved stakeholders, and cognitive practices. The obtained results revealed that most of the SoL definitions are rooted in the neuroscience field with an increased interest in the use of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the last few years. Particularly, it is found that some areas, such as the role of genes in learning, need more attention and were surprisingly not found in the definitions. Additionally, it is found that most of the stakeholders mentioned are generic (e.g., human, adult, etc.), depicting that learning can happen outside of schools and at any age. The findings of this study call for more cross-disciplinary collaboration on SoL implementation and impact, particularly in classroom and digital learning settings.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | What is the Science of Learning? a comprehensive review and analysis of the existing definitions |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s40561-025-00418-w |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-025-00418-w |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Keywords: | Social Sciences, Education & Educational Research, Science of Learning, Education, Definitions, Review, Concepts |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10217695 |
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