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The Intellectual Structure of Research on Educational Technology in Science Education (ETiSE): A Co-citation Network Analysis of Publications in Selected Journals (2008–2013)

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Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the intellectual structure of the research on educational technology in science education (ETiSE) within the most recent years (2008–2013). Based on the criteria for educational technology research and the citation threshold for educational co-citation analysis, a total of 137 relevant ETiSE papers were identified from the International Journal of Science Education, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, and the Journal of Science Education and Technology. Then, a series of methodologies were performed to analyze all 137 source documents, including document co-citation analysis, social network analysis, and exploratory factor analysis. As a result, 454 co-citation ties were obtained and then graphically visualized with an undirected network, presenting a global structure of the current ETiSE research network. In addition, four major underlying intellectual subfields within the main component of the ETiSE network were extracted and named as: (1) technology-enhanced science inquiry, (2) simulation and visualization for understanding, (3) technology-enhanced chemistry learning, and (4) game-based science learning. The most influential co-citation pairs and cross-boundary phenomena were then analyzed and visualized in a co-citation network. This is the very first attempt to illuminate the core ideas underlying ETiSE research by integrating the co-citation method, factor analysis, and the networking visualization technique. The findings of this study provide a platform for scholarly discussion of the dissemination and research trends within the current ETiSE literature.

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Acknowledgments

This paper has benefited from the comments and suggestions of the editors and four anonymous reviewers. The authors are especially grateful to the financial supports from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under grant numbers NSC 101-2511-S-011-003-MY3 and MOST 104-2511-S-011-004-MY3.

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  1. Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Taipei, 10607, Taiwan

    Kai-Yu Tang & Chin-Chung Tsai

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Correspondence to Kai-Yu Tang.

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Tang, KY., Tsai, CC. The Intellectual Structure of Research on Educational Technology in Science Education (ETiSE): A Co-citation Network Analysis of Publications in Selected Journals (2008–2013). J Sci Educ Technol 25, 327–344 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-015-9596-y

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