Developing models and theory is essential to the knowledge creation process. Models and theory by their very nature attempt to establish a common language and focus for the activities that take place in a scholarly community (Dubin, 1976). Burkhardt and Schoenfeld (2003) claimed that a “reasonably stable theory base... allows for a clear focus on important issues and provides sound (though still limited) guidance for the design of improved solutions to important problems”(p. 6). Well-established scholarly domains have common terminology and widely accepted models and theories that guide inquiry and practice, while researchers in less mature domains struggle to define terms and establish relevant models.

Limited efforts have been made to understand the development and use of theory in the domain of blended learning research (Drysdale, Graham, Spring, & Halverson, 2013; Graham, 2013; Halverson, Graham, Spring, & Drysdale, 2012). Blended learning research, though relatively new, is related to both educational technology research and distance education research (the former often focuses on contexts where teacher and learner are co-located and the latter on contexts where teacher and learner are separated in space and time). For several decades, educational technology as a field has struggled to find its theoretical roots (McDougall & Jones, 2006; Roblyer, 2005; Roblyer &