Abstract
Deep learning is a key term in current educational discourses worldwide and used by researchers, policymakers, stakeholders, politicians, organisations and the media with different definitions and, consequently, much confusion about its meaning and usage. This systematic mapping review attempts to reduce this ambiguity by investigating the definitions of deep learning in 71 research publications on primary and secondary education from 1970 to 2018. The results show two conceptualisations of the term deep learning—1) meaningful learning and 2) transfer of learning—both based on cognitive learning perspectives. The term deep learning is used by researchers worldwide and is mainly investigated in the school subjects of science, languages and mathematics with samples of students between 13 and 16 years of age. Deep learning is also a prevalent term in current international education policy and national curriculum reform, thus deeply affecting the practice of teaching and learning in general education. Our review identifies a lack of studies investigating deep learning through perspectives other than cognitive learning theories and suggests that future research should emphasise applying embodied, affective, and social perspectives on learning in the wide array of school subjects, in lower primary education and in a variety of sociocultural contexts, to support the adaptation of deep learning to a general educational practice.
Highlights
Since the turn of the last century, policy documents and research reports concerning education have been advocating the need for students to learn and develop skills and knowledge to prepare for life in the rapidly changing society, both in the international (Dumont et al, 2010; Pellegrino & Hilton, 2012) and in the Norwegian (NOU 2014:7; NOU 2015:8) educational contexts
This review finds that both conceptualisations of deep learning in research on primary and secondary education—1) meaningful learning and 2) transfer of learning—are defined from perspectives related to cognitive learning theory
Our study show that two main conceptualisations of deep learning have emerged around the world during the last five decades of research on primary and secondary education: meaningful learning and transfer of learning
Summary
Since the turn of the last century, policy documents and research reports concerning education have been advocating the need for students to learn and develop skills and knowledge to prepare for life in the rapidly changing society, both in the international (Dumont et al, 2010; Pellegrino & Hilton, 2012) and in the Norwegian (NOU 2014:7; NOU 2015:8) educational contexts. Meaningful learning, digital competence, problem-solving ability, critical thinking and students’ ability to transfer skills and knowledge from one context to another have been described as important. This has led to an increase in both the development and revitalisation of terms describing these skills and knowledge sets. The term deep learning is prevalent in discourses other than education, e.g., in research on artificial intelligence and machine-learning (Aizenberg et al, 2000; Dechter, 1986)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education (NJCIE)
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
