Two decades of STEM education research (2006-2026): A comprehensive bibliometric mapping of the field

Women in STEM Education Research, 2006-2025: Knowledge Evolution, Global Collaboration, and SDG Alignment

This bibliometric study maps the development of research on women in STEM education using 348 Scopus-indexed, English-language, open-access publications spanning 2006-2025. Bibliographic records were retrieved on June 12, 2025, and analyzed using Biblioshiny through performance analysis, keyword co-occurrence, co-authorship, co-citation, thematic mapping, and historiographic analysis. The field recorded an annual growth rate of 14.45%, with publication output increasing markedly after 2015 and remaining high after 2020. PLOS ONE was the most productive source, followed by CBE-Life Sciences Education and Sustainability, while highly cited publications by Stoet and Geary and Dennehy and Dasgupta formed important intellectual foundations for research on gender disparities, mentoring, and institutional intervention. Collaboration was extensive: 313 of the 348 documents (89.9%) were multi-authored, and 97.8% of authors contributed to co-authored publications. However, 76% of the scholarly output originated from the Global North, indicating persistent geographical imbalance. Conceptual mapping identified a pedagogical cluster centered on education, gender, students, mathematics, and engineering, alongside a demographic and indexing cluster dominated by female, male, human, and adult. The analysis also revealed limited attention to technology education, intersectional perspectives, and Global South contexts. Overall, the literature is substantively aligned with SDGs 4 and 5 through its focus on equitable access, participation, retention, and institutional inclusion. The findings support more reciprocal North-South partnerships, context-sensitive intervention studies, and stronger integration of intersectional and technology-focused research.

Mapping scopus-indexed research on professional development in education: a bibliometric analysis (1994–2026)

A Bibliometric Analysis on Mathematics Learning Interest in Primary Education: A Scopus-Based Review (1982–2025)

Research on mathematics learning interest in primary education has grown rapidly over the past two decades, yet no bibliometric study has systematically mapped its intellectual structure and thematic evolution. This study aimed to map the research landscape of mathematics learning interest in primary education by identifying publication trends, research productivity, and dominant research themes. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 92 articles indexed in Scopus from 1982 to 2025 using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. Findings reveal an annual growth rate of 6.66% with a significant surge after 2018, with China, the United States, and Turkey dominating research output. Nine thematic clusters were identified, with dominant themes including mathematics achievement and anxiety, motivation and learning interest, and self-concept and self-efficacy. The fragmented co-authorship network indicates limited international collaboration in this field. These findings provide a comprehensive intellectual map for researchers and education practitioners to identify research gaps and build a more structured collaborative agenda for future inquiry. Research on mathematics learning interest in primary education has grown rapidly over the past two decades, yet no bibliometric study has systematically mapped its intellectual structure and thematic evolution. This study aimed to map the research landscape of mathematics learning interest in primary education by identifying publication trends, research productivity, and dominant research themes. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 92 articles indexed in Scopus from 1982 to 2025 using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. Findings reveal an annual growth rate of 6.66% with a significant surge after 2018, with China, the United States, and Turkey dominating research output. Nine thematic clusters were identified, with dominant themes including mathematics achievement and anxiety, motivation and learning interest, and self-concept and self-efficacy. The fragmented co-authorship network indicates limited international collaboration in this field. These findings provide a comprehensive intellectual map for researchers and education practitioners to identify research gaps and build a more structured collaborative agenda for future inquiry.

A bibliometric review on mathematics in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education research: 2010–2024

Background: Mathematics is a core discipline of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. It is imperative to review the role of mathematics in that progress. Aim: Using a bibliometric review, the study examined global research trends in mathematics of STEM education from 2010 to 2024. Setting: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is key to national development. Understanding its nature is important. The study draws on international academic publications indexed primarily in the Scopus database, encompassing journal articles, books, book chapters, and conference proceedings. Methods: A bibliometric review approach was employed, using targeted keywords – STEM, research, teaching or learning, students or learners, and mathematics – to identify relevant literature. The Scopus database, retrieved on 21 January 2025, was utilised to identify 669 documents. VOSviewer software was used to generate visual maps of research trends and international collaboration networks. Results: The analysis reveals that the United States and Indonesia dominate research on mathematics-focused STEM education. The United Kingdom serves as a central node for collaboration, while major economies such as China, India, and Japan are present, their participation is small. Conclusion: The study shows Africa’s absence as a singularly visible contributor, which corresponds to Mode 1 knowledge production. By contrast, countries such as the United States and Indonesia demonstrate Mode 2 characteristics: large volumes of research, extensive networks of joint authorship, and participation in cross-border collaborations. Contribution: This study highlights the need for greater African engagement in STEM education research, particularly in mathematics, to ensure equitable development relative to other countries and greater representation in global educational innovation.

Bibliometric and Science Mapping Analysis of Research on Social Studies Education for Students with Special Needs (2000-2024)

Introduction: Social studies education for students with special needs has become an increasingly important field of research as inclusive education advances. However, the temporal development of scientific production, prominent actors, and collaboration structures in this field have not been investigated comprehensively. This study aims to reveal the structural and trend-related characteristics of the field by analyzing the bibliometric properties of research published in this domain.Method: This study was a review based on bibliometric analysis. Publications indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and published between 2000 and 2024 were included in the analysis. The literature search was conducted on March 19, 2025. Bibliometric analyses were carried out using the Bibliometrix package and VOSviewer software. Publication and citation trends, as well as country, institution, and author productivity and collaboration networks, were examined.Findings: The findings indicate a significant increase in publications over the past decade and reveal that scientific output is concentrated within a relatively small set of countries, institutions, and authors. Collaboration networks among authors and countries display a structure organized around central cores.Discussion: The results suggest that knowledge production in the field has not yet reached a fully integrated structure. Increasing international and interdisciplinary collaboration, encouraging research conducted across diverse educational contexts, and diversifying studies focused on inclusive social studies education are identified as key strategies to enhance the field’s scientific visibility and impact.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research on Universities of the Third Age and Older Adult Education (1982–2025)

This study examines global publication trends and the intellectual structure of research on Universities of the Third Age (U3A) and later-life learning through bibliometric analysis. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on November 9, 2025, using the keywords “University of the Third Age”, “Third Age University”, “Third Age learning”, “learning in later life”, “education for older adults”, and “elderly education”, yielding 530 documents. These were subjected to co-authorship, citation, keyword co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling analyses via VOSviewer. Findings reveal an acceleration in publication volume post-2010, predominantly comprising articles (75%). Poland (99 publications), the USA (65), and China (47) are the most productive countries, whereas Malta (TLS=71) serves as the strategic hub due to high link strength. At the institutional level, the University of Malta (TLS=99) and Nicolaus Copernicus University (TLS=38) act as intellectual bridges, with Marvin Formosa (TLS=142) emerging as the key theoretical leader. Keyword analysis demonstrates that while “older adults”, “lifelong learning”, and “education” remain central, digital learning, active aging, technology adoption, and psychosocial well-being have become strategic research foci, signaling a shift toward a multidisciplinary field.