Understanding the implementation of personalized learning: a research synthesis

Personalized learning (PL) has been promoted as a major aim and reform effort across the contemporary education system. In this article, we systematically identified and synthesized 71 empirical studies associated with the implementation of PL that were conducted between 2006 and 2019. This synthesis examined the current research efforts on the PL implementation with a focus on the primary purposes, overall methodological characteristics, and associated student learning outcomes of the identified studies. Using the method of critical interpretive synthesis, we identified two overarching themes in relation to PL across various disciplines of study. The two themes included investigating (a) the role of varying technologies and (b) contextual factors that impacted the implementation of PL. However, few studies have examined the effects of PL as a whole-school initiative on student educational outcomes. We ended by discussing the issues with the conceptualization and empirical evidence of PL and providing implications for the future advancement of the field.