Examination of studies on scientific process skills in science education through bibliometric and content analysis

Year 2025, Issue: 63, 818 - 846, 27.03.2025

Faruk Arıcı

https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1567500

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of academic research on scientific process skills (SPS) in science education using meticulously extracted data from the Web of Science (WoS) database. A holistic approach was employed in the research, integrating bibliometric analysis and content analysis to reveal general trends and thematic structures in the literature. Specifically, bibliometric analysis was employed to examine the most frequently cited studies on inter-author collaborations and keyword trends on SPS. Content analysis provides a unique contribution to our study by detailing the analysis of these publications. A distinguishing feature of this study is the use of a more extensive data set and a more extended period than previous studies, providing a more comprehensive picture of the evolution of research on SPS over time. The VosViwer bibliometric analysis software employs an array of analytical methods, including citation analysis, co-author analysis, keyword matching, and collaboration network analysis, to identify trends within the field. The analysis encompasses studies published from the inaugural study in 1992 through August 2024. The findings reveal a substantial increase in publications, with 2020 demonstrating the highest number of publications. In contrast, the average number of publications during the preceding five-year period was restricted to eight per year. Most of these publications are classified under "Education, Educational Research," with a smaller number falling under "Biology." This observation suggests that the primary focus of SPS research is within the educational context. Furthermore, the study revealed that publications in the SSCI and ESCI indexes are more prevalent, while there are fewer studies in the SCI-E index. The prominent researchers in this field include Kamisah Osman, Hatice Zeynep Inan, and Susan A. Kirch. A notable observation was Turkey's high ranking in terms of country distribution. This observation indicates that researchers have dedicated significant attention to the SPS in the context of science education. The most prevalent keywords in the analyzed studies were "SPS," "science education," "inquiry," and "assessment." Over time, there has been an upward trend in the use of terms such as "inquiry-based learning," "teacher education," and "elementary education." The most prominent academic journals in this field include the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and the International Journal of Science Education. Notwithstanding the strides made, the study underscores Turkish researchers' need to enhance their visibility and cultivate national journals to attain international standards.

Keywords

Science education, scientific process skills, bibliometric analysis, content analysis

Project Number

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Fen eğitiminde bilimsel süreç becerileri üzerine yapılan çalışmaların bibliyometrik ve içerik analizi yoluyla incelenmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Web of Science (WoS) veritabanından titizlikle çıkarılan verileri kullanarak, fen eğitimi alanındaki bilimsel süreç becerileri (BSB) ile ilgili akademik araştırmaların kapsamlı bir analizini sunmaktadır. Araştırmada, literatürdeki genel eğilimleri ve tematik yapıları ortaya çıkarmak için bibliyometrik analiz ve içerik analizini entegre ederek bütünsel bir yaklaşım kullanılmıştır. BSB konusunda yazarlar arası işbirlikleri, anahtar kelime eğilimleri ve en çok atıf alan çalışmaları incelemek için bibliyometrik analizden yararlanılmıştır. İçerik analizi ile en çok atıf alan makalelerin ele alınıp BSB’nin fen eğitimindeki durumunun detaylandırılması çalışmamıza özgün bir katkı sağlamıştır. Ayrıca, önceki çalışmalardan farklı olarak daha geniş bir veri seti ve daha uzun bir zaman dilimi kullanılmış, bu da BSB üzerine yapılan araştırmaların zaman içindeki değişimine dair daha kapsamlı bir çerçeve ortaya koymuştur. Analiz, 1992'deki ilk, ilgili çalışmadan Ağustos 2024'e kadar yayınlanan tüm çalışmaları kapsamaktadır. Bulgular, yayınlarda önemli bir artış olduğunu göstermektedir ve 2020, en yüksek yayın sayısına ulaşılan yıldır. Beş yıllık dönemler olışturularak yürütülen incelemede ortalama yayın sayısı yılda sekiz yayın ile sınırlır. Yayınların çoğu "Eğitim, Eğitim Araştırması" konu başlığı altında sınıflandırılırken, "Biyoloji" alanında yayın sayısı daha azdır. Bu, BSB'nin öncelikle eğitim bağlamında incelendiğini göstermektedir. Dahası, çalışma SSCI ve ESCI endekslerindeki yayınların daha yaygın olduğunu, SCI-E endeksinde ise daha az sayıda çalışma bulunduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Bu alandaki en önde gelen araştırmacılar arasında Kamisah Osman, Hatice Zeynep İnan, Susan A. Kirch yer almaktadır. Özellikle, Türkiye’nin ülke dağılımında üst sıralarda yer aldığı görülmüştür ve bu durum araştırmacıların fen eğitiminde BSB’ye yoğun olarak odaklandığını göstermektedir. İncelenen çalışmalarda en sık görülen anahtar kelimeler "BSB", "fen eğitimi", "sorgulama" ve "değerlendirme"dir. Zamanla, "sorgulamaya dayalı öğrenme", "öğretmen eğitimi" ve "ilköğretim eğitimi" terimleri giderek daha yaygın hale gelmiştir. Ayrıca, bu alanda yayınlanan en önemli dergiler Journal of Research in Science Teaching ve International Journal of Science Education'dır. Yukarıda belirtilen ilerlemeye rağmen, çalışma Türk araştırmacıların görünürlüklerini artırmaları ve uluslararası standartlara ulaşmak için ulusal dergileri geliştirmeleri gerektiğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

Bilimsel süreç becerileri, bibliyometrik analiz, fen eğitimi, içerik analizi

Ethical Statement

Çalışmanın tüm süreçlerinin araştırma ve yayın etiğine uygun olduğunu, etik kurallara ve bilimsel atıf gösterme ilkelerine uyduğumu beyan ederim.

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Project Number

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Thanks

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