Concluding the Introduction to K-12 Online Learning Research MOOC blogging activity

1.  The comparative literature references above focuses solely on the supplemental K-12 online learning environment. Locate one research article that focuses specifically on comparing student performance in the full-time K-12 online learning environment with student performance in the traditional brick-and-mortar environment and critique that study.

     Although this study focuses only on math, it encompasses the above criteria.  Two assessments were used to determine the outcome of the study.  "Three virtual and three traditional schools in three different states participated" (Hughes, McLeod, Brown, Maeda, & Choi, 2007).  The article does speak to the blog summary that was previously posted regarding research that already is existing and its "conflicting results" (Hughes et al., 2007).
     One question that was asked by Hughes, McLeod, Brown, Maeda, and Choi (2007) is as follows.  "Does Algebra achievement differ between online and traditional face-to-face students?"  According to the results published in The American Journal of Distance Education in 2007, the online learners outperformed the traditional students in the areas that were tested.
     Other characteristics and findings are also included in the report.  Some of the results indicate that "online courses can provide successful, alternative learning opportunities  (Hughes et al, 2007) including students that might be on different high school paths to graduation.  It was  mentioned that a larger sample size could have been beneficial to the study as noted in the blog post summary as well.

Hughes, J.E., McLeod, S., Brown, R., Maeda, Y., & Choi, J. (2007). Academic achievement

       and perceptions of the learning environment in virtual and traditional secondary

       mathematics classrooms. American Journal of Distance Education, 21(4). Retrieved
       from https://www2.bc.edu/christopher-brunner/Hughes%202007%20
       Online%20Learning.pdf