The pedagogical landscape of blended learning in higher education: a bibliometric analysis

Purpose Blended learning has become a defining instructional approach in higher education (HE), particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. It integrates online and face-to-face (F2F) components to provide flexibility and personalization. However, the effectiveness of blended learning depends on the pedagogical decisions that shape its design. While blended learning has a longer historical trajectory, this study does not aim to map its evolution over time. Instead, it investigates how pedagogy has been articulated in influential blended learning research during a period of systemic disruption in HE. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric analysis was conducted using articles published between 2019 and 2024 in the Web of Science database, covering the period immediately preceding, during, and following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study examined leading journals publishing blended learning research, the academic fields represented, and how researchers approached the pedagogical dimension of blended learning. Ninety-eight articles were reviewed to identify trends, disciplinary patterns, and the presence or absence of pedagogical frameworks. Findings The analysis revealed that only 23.5% of studies explicitly mentioned blended learning models, with flipped learning being the most frequent. More than half of the publications (58.2%) did not address any learning theory, while 41.8% incorporated a pedagogical perspective, mainly constructivism and cognitivism. These findings emphasize the need to ground blended learning practices in pedagogical theory rather than technological preference. Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive overview of blended learning pedagogy in HE during the pre- and post-COVID-19 period, rather than a historical mapping of the field. It identifies a persistent gap between technological design and pedagogical reasoning, underlining the importance of maintaining theoretical integrity in blended HE. The paper contributes insights for researchers and practitioners seeking to strengthen the pedagogical grounding of blended learning during periods of institutional transformation.