Abstract

The evolution of digital technologies since the 2000s has globally fostered a significant transformation of education into a more internet-centric paradigm. This shift gained momentum, especially after the initiation of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Campaign, which targets Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily in the realm of education. These innovative waves have propelled digitally mediated educational practices, notably blended learning (BL), a hybrid model combining online and face-to-face instructions into a widely accepted norm. In Australia, an increasing number of states and territories have embraced BL approaches, a trend that has strengthened during the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last five years. This has underscored the necessity for more in-depth investigations on the trends and the existing gaps of BL implementations involving students, lecturers, and administrators. To address this imperative, this systematic review aims to clarify the strengths and existing gaps through a meta-analysis of forty-three BL-related studies conducted in the Australian educational contexts. One of the most obvious findings of the review is that learners constitute the primary focus of investigation. Additionally, the quantitative approach emerges as the most prevalent methodology in BL implementation studies. The implications of this review extend to lecturers and administrating agents, offering insights into the influencing factors of BL adoption in Australian education. Moreover, the research provides academicians and scholars with an overview of previous trendy research topics, research approaches, theories, and their outcomes to shape the roadmap for future BL-related studies.