Evolution and emerging themes in commitment research among early childhood educators: A bibliometric analysis

Purpose: This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the global research trends and future research directions of commitment research in early childhood education (ECE) from 1971 to 2023. This study investigates scholarly publications published throughout the past fifty years, employing several analytical methods such as performance analysis, co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and scientific mapping. Design/methodology/approach: The article uses the Scopus database to collect 205 articles related to the topic and applies various bibliometric methods, such as authorship, citation, co-citation, bibliographic coupling, and co-occurrence analysis, to visualize and interpret the data. The article identifies the most influential authors, organizations, countries, journals, and articles in the field and the thematic clusters and patterns of commitment research in ECE. The research utilized VOSviewer as a tool for performing performance analysis and topic grouping. Findings: The year 2021 exhibited the highest level of productivity, as evidenced by the publication of 26 scholarly works. Regarding influence, Rutgers University, located in the United States, emerged as the most influential institution, while the United States emerged as the most impacted country. Similarly, the publication that holds the most significant influence within the field is the “International Journal of Early Childhood,” while the journal that demonstrates the highest level of productivity is the “International Journal of Early Years Education.” Additionally, the article titled “Work process and quality of care in early childhood education: The role of job crafting” has received the most citations. The authors have identified seven theme groups of commitment research in early childhood education. Research limitations/implications: Relevant researches from other databases are not included in the findings because they are restricted to papers indexed in the Scopus database. The analysis might be broadened to incorporate more sources in future study, and longitudinal studies could be used to examine how commitment changes over time in different types of educational settings. Originality/value: An exhaustive bibliometric analysis of fifty years of commitment research in early childhood education is presented in this study. It identifies significant works and thematic clusters, and it offers valuable insights into future research directions that can improve educational practices and policies. This study makes a unique contribution to the field.