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Trends of Science Education Research: An Automatic Content Analysis

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Abstract

This study used scientometric methods to conduct an automatic content analysis on the development trends of science education research from the published articles in the four journals of International Journal of Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Research in Science Education, and Science Education from 1990 to 2007. The multi-stage clustering technique was employed to investigate with what topics, to what development trends, and from whose contribution that the journal publications constructed as a science education research field. This study found that the research topic of Conceptual Change & Concept Mapping was the most studied topic, although the number of publications has slightly declined in the 2000’s. The studies in the themes of Professional Development, Nature of Science and Socio-Scientific Issues, and Conceptual Chang and Analogy were found to be gaining attention over the years. This study also found that, embedded in the most cited references, the supporting disciplines and theories of science education research are constructivist learning, cognitive psychology, pedagogy, and philosophy of science.

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Acknowledgments

The work in this study was supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan under contracts NSC 97-2631-S-003 -003 and NSC 98-2631-S-003 -002.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institute of Science Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Sect. 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei, 11677, Taiwan

    Yueh-Hsia Chang & Chun-Yen Chang

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Sect. 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei, 11677, Taiwan

    Yueh-Hsia Chang & Chun-Yen Chang

  3. Science Education Center, National Taiwan Normal University, 88, Sect. 4, Ting-Chou Road, Taipei, 11677, Taiwan

    Yueh-Hsia Chang & Chun-Yen Chang

  4. Information Technology Center, National Taiwan Normal University, No. 162, Sec. 1, Heping East Road, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, ROC

    Yuen-Hsien Tseng

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  1. Yueh-Hsia Chang
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Correspondence to Chun-Yen Chang.

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Chang, YH., Chang, CY. & Tseng, YH. Trends of Science Education Research: An Automatic Content Analysis. J Sci Educ Technol 19, 315–331 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-009-9202-2

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