World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Learning and Instruction
H-index 37

Learning and Instruction

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Psychology 112 116 165 32
Social Sciences and Humanities 141 32 43 18

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 156
Documents by Best Scientists*: 210
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 6
SCIMAGO H-index: 153
SCIMAGO SJR: 2.236
Impact Factor: 4.9

Overview

Top Research Topics at Learning and Instruction?

The main points discussed in Learning and Instruction deals with Mathematics education, Cognitive psychology, Social psychology, Developmental psychology and Pedagogy. Learning and Instruction focuses on Mathematics education as well as the interrelated topic of Higher education. In addition to Cognitive psychology research, Learning and Instruction aims to explore topics under Test (assessment), Comprehension, Task (project management), Cognitive load and Metacognition.

Many of the studies tackled connect Comprehension with a similar field of study like Reading comprehension. Learning and Instruction focuses on Social psychology research which is adjacent to topics in Perception. The journal explores topics in Developmental psychology which can be helpful for research in disciplines like Longitudinal study and Reading (process).

Experiential learning is the primary subject of Pedagogy works presented in it. Research on Experiential learning addressed in Learning and Instruction frequently intersections with the field of Active learning.

  • Mathematics education (30.57%)
  • Cognitive psychology (22.58%)
  • Social psychology (16.63%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY, LEARNING DIFFICULTY, AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN (2130 citations)
  • Effects of problem-based learning: a meta- analysis (1144 citations)
  • Capturing and modeling the process of conceptual change. (1090 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Learning and Instruction:

The published articles are mainly concerned with subjects like Mathematics education, Pedagogy, Cognitive psychology, Teaching method and Social psychology. Most of the Mathematics education studies addressed in the journal articles also intersect with Higher education. In addition to Social psychology research, the most cited articles aim to explore topics under Developmental psychology and Perception.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Social psychology
  • Mathematics education
  • Artificial intelligence

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal focuses largely on the fields of Mathematics education, Developmental psychology, Cognitive psychology, Reading (process) and Sample (statistics). While Mathematics education is the key highlight in Learning and Instruction, it also covered some subjects on Context (language use) and Affect (psychology). The research on Developmental psychology tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Structural equation modeling, Longitudinal study and Standardized test.

The journal explores research in Cognitive psychology alongside concepts in Metacognition and other areas of study in Text comprehension. The concepts on Reading (process) presented in Learning and Instruction can also apply to other research fields, including Test (assessment) and German. Topics in Sample (statistics) were tackled in line with various other fields like Autonomy, Social psychology and Class (computer programming).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • What changes, and for whom? A study of the impact of learning analytics-based process feedback in a large course (23 citations)
  • What multimodal data can tell us about the students’ regulation of their learning process? (22 citations)
  • How are students’ emotions related to the accuracy of cognitive and metacognitive processes during learning with an intelligent tutoring system? (20 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Learning and Instruction (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Tamara van Gog (23 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Fred Paas (19 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Katharina Scheiter (19 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Lieven Verschaffel (19 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Alexander Renkl (18 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Learning and Instruction (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Tübingen (49 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 7 more than at the previous edition,
  • Utrecht University (47 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 5 more than at the previous edition,
  • Open University (45 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (42 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (38 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 4.35% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 16.36% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 13.64% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 23.64% of all publications and 46.36% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Paths Related to Research Topics

As an enthusiast, it's great to see your interest in the Learning and Instruction research topics. Did you know that the knowledge and expertise in these subjects could lead to exciting career opportunities in fields like mental health counseling? For instance, understanding cognitive psychology and developmental psychology can enhance your skills as a mental health counselor.

If you're considering exploring this profession, knowing the specific requirements of your desired location is critical. For instance, the requirements to become a mental health counselor in Georgia are unique and you must familiarize yourself with them. Here, at How to be a mental health counselor in Georgia, we provide you with a detailed guide for the steps you need to take.

Undoubtedly, a career in mental health counseling can provide a fulfilling avenue to apply your knowledge and passion for Learning and Instruction research areas. We encourage you to explore this career path and others related to these research topics.

Top Publications

  • Opening up the black box: Teacher competence, instructional quality, and students’ learning progress

    Unknown

    (2022)
    267 Citations
  • Professional knowledge or motivation? Investigating the role of teachers’ expertise on the quality of technology-enhanced lesson plans

    Iris Backfisch;Iris Backfisch;Andreas Lachner;Andreas Lachner;Christoff Hische;Frank Loose

    (2020)
    166 Citations
  • Control-value appraisals, achievement emotions, and foreign language performance: A latent interaction analysis

    Kaiqi Shao;Reinhard Pekrun;Reinhard Pekrun;Reinhard Pekrun;Herbert W. Marsh;Herbert W. Marsh;Kristina Loderer

    (2020)
    134 Citations
  • What multimodal data can tell us about the students’ regulation of their learning process?

    Sanna Järvelä;Jonna Malmberg;Eetu Haataja;Marta Sobocinski

    (2021)
    133 Citations
  • What changes, and for whom? A study of the impact of learning analytics-based process feedback in a large course

    Lisa Angelique Lim;Sheridan Gentili;Abelardo Pardo;Vitomir Kovanović

    (2021)
    132 Citations
  • Teachers’ belief that math requires innate ability predicts lower intrinsic motivation among low-achieving students

    Anke Heyder;Anne F. Weidinger;Andrei Cimpian;Ricarda Steinmayr

    (2020)
    108 Citations
  • Students’ emotions of enjoyment and boredom and their use of cognitive learning strategies – How do they affect one another?

    Stefanie Obergriesser;Heidrun Stoeger

    (2020)
    97 Citations
  • The development of peer networks and academic performance in learning communities in higher education

    Unknown

    (2022)
    94 Citations
  • Does school average achievement explain the effect of socioeconomic status on math and reading interest? A test of the Information Distortion Model

    Philip Parker;Taren Sanders;Jake Anders;Baljinder Sahdra

    (2021)
    89 Citations
  • The role of affective teacher-student relationships in adolescents’ school engagement and achievement trajectories

    Maaike Claudine Engels;Jantine L Spilt;Katrijn Denies;Karine Verschueren

    (2021)
    82 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in expanding their expertise beyond psychology, pursuing an online human services degree offers a flexible route into fields focused on community support and social services. These programs often provide shorter durations and practical skills applicable to diverse helping professions.

Career changers, such as teachers looking to specialize, can explore avenues like becoming a speech-language pathologist. The journey from teacher to speech language pathologist involves additional certifications but leverages foundational communication and education skills.

It is essential to consider accredited programs when entering speech pathology. The accredited speech pathology programs listed ensure compliance with ASHA standards, preparing students for certification and licensure while offering accelerated options.

For individuals from non-SLP backgrounds, there are convenient pathways through online bridge programs non-SLP majors. These bridge programs facilitate a smoother transition by covering prerequisite knowledge and skills necessary for speech-language pathology graduate studies.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal