Trends and Gaps in Learning Space Research: A Systematic Review

Öz

This study presents a bibliometric analysis to explore the development trends, conceptual structure, and interdisciplinary gaps within the academic literature on learning spaces. As physical, digital, and hybrid learning environments continue to evolve, research on learning spaces has gained prominence. However, most existing literature is shaped predominantly by educational sciences, with limited representation of spatial design and architectural perspectives. This study aims to map the field systematically and provide a comprehensive understanding of both its strengths and limitations. A total of 2,819 publications indexed in the Web of Science database were analyzed. The bibliometric process employed VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software to generate co-authorship networks, keyword co-occurrence maps, thematic clusters, and country-level collaborations. In addition, a trigram analysis was applied to article abstracts to compare the alignment between author-defined keywords and the actual thematic content. The results identified 13 thematic clusters, primarily centered around pedagogical frameworks, teacher education, digital learning environments, and student engagement. A notable discrepancy was found between frequently used keywords and the core themes emerging from article abstracts, indicating conceptual misalignment in the field. Temporal analysis also revealed a recent shift—particularly after 2020—toward topics such as digitalization, hybrid learning, and artificial intelligence. Findings suggest that learning spaces should be explored not only from pedagogical perspectives but also through spatial and architectural lenses. Accordingly, stronger collaboration between educational sciences and spatial design disciplines is recommended. By objectively mapping publication patterns, this bibliometric analysis offers valuable insight and direction for future interdisciplinary research on learning environments.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• educational research
• learning environments
• learning spaces
• bibliometric analysis
• bibliometric mapping

Öğrenme Alanı Araştırmalarındaki Eğilimler ve Boşluklar: Sistematik Bir İnceleme

Öz

Bu çalışma, öğrenme mekânlarına ilişkin akademik literatürün gelişim eğilimlerini ortaya koymak, kavramsal yapısını analiz etmek ve alandaki disiplinler arası boşlukları belirlemek amacıyla bibliyometrik bir analiz gerçekleştirmektedir. Özellikle fiziksel, dijital ve hibrit öğrenme ortamlarının dönüşümüyle birlikte, öğrenme mekânları üzerine yapılan araştırmalar önem kazanmıştır. Ancak bu alandaki yayınların büyük bölümü eğitim bilimleri perspektifinde şekillenmekte, mekânsal tasarım ve mimarlık gibi alanlar literatürde sınırlı ölçüde temsil edilmektedir. Bu çalışma, öğrenme mekânı araştırmalarını sistematik bir biçimde haritalayarak alana ilişkin güçlü ve zayıf yönleri bütüncül bir çerçevede değerlendirmeyi hedeflemektedir. Araştırmada, Web of Science veri tabanından elde edilen 2.819 yayın analiz edilmiştir. Bibliyometrik analiz sürecinde VOSviewer ve Bibliometrix yazılımları kullanılmış; anahtar kelime eş-oluşumları, tematik kümeler, atıf ilişkileri ve ülke iş birlikleri görselleştirilmiştir. Ayrıca yayın özetlerine uygulanan trigram analizi, yazarların tanımladığı anahtar kelimeler ile makalelerin gerçek içeriği arasında kavramsal tutarlılık olup olmadığını test etmek amacıyla kullanılmıştır. Analizler sonucunda 13 tematik küme belirlenmiş ve bu kümelerin büyük ölçüde pedagojik kuramlar, öğretmen eğitimi, dijital öğrenme ortamları ve öğrenci katılımı gibi konular etrafında yoğunlaştığı tespit edilmiştir. Yazar anahtar kelimelerinde sıklıkla yer alan kavramlar ile makale özetlerinde vurgulanan kavramlar arasında anlamlı farklar bulunmuş; bu durum, alanın kavramsal olarak henüz yeterince bütünleşmediğini göstermektedir. Ayrıca, zaman serisi analizleri öğrenme mekânları araştırmalarının 2020 sonrasında dijitalleşme, hibrit öğrenme ve yapay zekâ gibi kavramlara yöneldiğini ortaya koymuştur. Çalışmanın bulguları, öğrenme mekânlarının pedagojik boyutlarıyla birlikte fiziksel ve mekânsal özelliklerinin de araştırma odağı hâline gelmesi gerektiğine işaret etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, eğitim bilimleri ile mimarlık ve mekân tasarımı arasında daha güçlü iş birlikleri geliştirilmesi önerilmektedir. Bibliyometrik analizler, alandaki yayın eğilimlerini nesnel ve kapsamlı biçimde ortaya koyarak, gelecek araştırmalar için yönlendirici bir çerçeve sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• eğitim araştırması
• öğrenme ortamları
• öğrenme mekanları
• bibliyometrik analiz
• bibliyometrik haritalama

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