A Bibliometric Analysis on Sustainable Research in Mathematics Education

Abstract

This study evaluates the trend of past research in mathematics education with the purpose of identifying research gaps and suggesting scopes for new studies. In respect to students' mathematical learning and achievement, this study specifically identifies the key contributors and the dominant themes in research pertaining to these areas. The study employs bibliometrics on Scopus database for a period of 23 years. Analysis using VOSviewer software included the publication-related metrics and science mapping to generate information on annual productivity, research areas, prominent publishing journals, authors, countries, and keywords. The findings confirm that the annual production of journal articles in the English language in mathematics education has been on an increasing trend since 2000. However, United States has been making significant contributions to the publications, which has limited the research to problems and difficulties specific to that nation. The findings also point to underlying problems, such as lack of knowledge and resources in some nations, including Malaysia. The study urges increased international collaboration in research as well as more publications from less prominent countries. Furthermore, instead of merely presenting numerical findings, mathematics educators and researchers need to carry out in-depth qualitative investigations that can enhance mathematics teaching and learning, and student achievement. This study also demonstrates the need for more research on equity and equality in mathematics education, which are crucial components of high-quality sustainable education.