Providing a Conceptual Framework for E-Learning in Primary Education Using the Meta-Synthesis Method

Abstract

The present study aims to provide a conceptual framework for e-learning in primary education using a qualitative approach and the seven-step meta-synthesis method proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). The purpose of meta-synthesis is to extract new insights by comparing and synthesizing findings from multiple studies. The study population includes all scientific works related to the foundations and dimensions of e-learning, retrieved from 12 scientific databases, covering the period from 2006 to 2025 (corresponding to 1384 to 1403 in the Iranian calendar). Through a screening process, 56 studies were selected for further analysis. Open and axial coding were used to analyze the data. As a result of synthesizing and analyzing the findings, four factors, including individual factors, educational factors, contextual factors, and technological factors, were identified. Additionally, eight key categories, including student, teacher, course design, course support, organizational factors, socio-cultural and political factors, hardware factors, and software factors, as well as 24 main concepts and 307 codes related to the components of e-learning in primary education, were discovered and labeled.