Two decades of STEM education studies in higher education: A bibliometric analysis.

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Title: Two decades of STEM education studies in higher education: A bibliometric analysis.
Authors: Irwanto, Irwanto1 irwanto@unj.ac.id, Hutahaean, Esrida1
Source: Journal of Turkish Science Education (TUSED). Sep2025, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p451-467. 17p.
Subject Terms: *STEM education, *Higher education, *Bibliometrics, *Authorship, *Active learning, *Educational innovations
Geographic Terms: United States
Company/Entity: Purdue University
Abstract: STEM education is gaining more attention due to its significant contribution to educational development. The authors employed bibliometric analysis to determine how STEM education research was developing. The study aims to present an up-to-date overview of the STEM education research landscape in the context of higher education from 2002 to 2022. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 1,282 papers were downloaded from the Scopus database for further analysis. Data analysis included publications and citations, the most frequently cited documents, sources, institutions, the most influential countries, the most prolific authors, co-authorship for authors and countries, and co-occurrence of author keywords using VOSviewer software. There has been an increasing trend in the number of publications from 2002 to 2022, peaking in 2020 with 180 articles. The work by Henderson et al. (2011) is the most frequently cited document, with 554 citations to date. In terms of the most productive source, the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition leads the field. The United States and Purdue University emerged as the most productive country and institution, respectively. Carmen C. is identified as the most active author, while Wang X. is the most influential. Frequently occurring keywords include "STEM education", "STEM" and "Higher education." The findings highlight the practical need for higher education institutions to prioritise active learning strategies, diversity, and international collaboration to advance STEM education globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Turkish Science Education (TUSED) is the property of Firtina Academy Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Two decades of STEM education studies in higher education: A bibliometric analysis.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Irwanto%2C+Irwanto%22">Irwanto, Irwanto</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> irwanto@unj.ac.id</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hutahaean%2C+Esrida%22">Hutahaean, Esrida</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Turkish+Science+Education+%28TUSED%29%22">Journal of Turkish Science Education (TUSED)</searchLink>. Sep2025, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p451-467. 17p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22STEM+education%22">STEM education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bibliometrics%22">Bibliometrics</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Authorship%22">Authorship</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Active+learning%22">Active learning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+innovations%22">Educational innovations</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Purdue+University%22">Purdue University</searchLink>
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  Data: STEM education is gaining more attention due to its significant contribution to educational development. The authors employed bibliometric analysis to determine how STEM education research was developing. The study aims to present an up-to-date overview of the STEM education research landscape in the context of higher education from 2002 to 2022. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 1,282 papers were downloaded from the Scopus database for further analysis. Data analysis included publications and citations, the most frequently cited documents, sources, institutions, the most influential countries, the most prolific authors, co-authorship for authors and countries, and co-occurrence of author keywords using VOSviewer software. There has been an increasing trend in the number of publications from 2002 to 2022, peaking in 2020 with 180 articles. The work by Henderson et al. (2011) is the most frequently cited document, with 554 citations to date. In terms of the most productive source, the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition leads the field. The United States and Purdue University emerged as the most productive country and institution, respectively. Carmen C. is identified as the most active author, while Wang X. is the most influential. Frequently occurring keywords include "STEM education", "STEM" and "Higher education." The findings highlight the practical need for higher education institutions to prioritise active learning strategies, diversity, and international collaboration to advance STEM education globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Turkish Science Education (TUSED) is the property of Firtina Academy Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.36681/tused.2025.023
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 17
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      – SubjectFull: STEM education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Higher education
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      – SubjectFull: Bibliometrics
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      – SubjectFull: Active learning
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      – SubjectFull: Educational innovations
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      – SubjectFull: United States
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      – SubjectFull: Purdue University
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            – D: 01
              M: 09
              Text: Sep2025
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              Y: 2025
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