A Systematic Review of the DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success in an E-Learning Context (2010–2020)

Abstract

The DeLone and McLean (D&M) information systems (IS) success model seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of IS success by identifying and explaining the relationships among their most critical dimensions of success. Many studies have offered important insights into this model. Nevertheless, regarding the e-learning body of knowledge, D&M research remains to be systematically reviewed comprehensively. E-learning refers to the use of information technology to disseminate knowledge for education and training. With today's e-learning boom necessitated for the most part by COVID-19, its adoption has become increasingly mandatory. Thus, a systematic review should help focus and accelerate future research. This study systematically reviews, compiles, analyzes, and synthesizes the D&M model studies in the e-learning context. This review adopts automatic and manual search methods to collect related studies from 2010 to 2020. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 92 primary studies are identified. The findings show that most of reviewed studies were conducted in the education field. The success category was the most highly investigated area from among the selected studies. Most studies developed a hybrid/extended model. Additionally, this study also identified gaps in the literature and recommends seven potential future areas requiring further investigation, such as conducting studies to examine the net benefits at the organizational level of analysis. To that end, the findings of this systematic review study provide an impactful contribution through offering a holistic review of the current state of D&M model studies in an e-learning context, providing an essential reference for scholars in this field.