An Analysis on Research Trends in Rural Spaces using Text Mining

Background and objective: As the significance and function of rural areas change, the value of rural space has become increasingly recognized in modern society. Consequently, while the concept of rural space has developed over time and led to modifications in relevant policies, there are insufficient studies that focus on these changes based on a broad definition of rural space. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze trends in rural space research over time by applying text mining to academic papers on the topic of domestic rural space.Methods: First, for data collection, the search keyword was set as 'rural space' in the Korea Citation Index (KCI), and 1,581 academic papers from 2003 to 2024 were collected. After removing inappropriate ones, a total of 473 articles were selected. The analysis was conducted by dividing the data into five periods. Following that, preprocessing and word frequency, TF-IDF, and LDA topic modeling analysis were performed through Textom, a big data analytics platform.Results: The analysis revealed several key trends over the five periods. First, the volume of research on rural space has increased over time, indicating a growing interest in this field. Second, shifts in the paradigm of rural space research were observed through changes in keywords, reflecting evolving research priorities. Third, it was discovered that rural space research is gradually developing into a comprehensive approach and expanding into empirical research. This expansion is characterized by three themes extracted from each period: 'village-level development,' 'landscape and environment,' and 'service development and value creation'.Conclusion: The findings showed an increasing focus on preserving 'ruralness', which is a unique feature of rural space, as attention shifts toward landscape preservation, ecology, and the environment. This trend aligns with the expectations and values for rural space, as well as social demands that value sustainable development, indicating the potential for further research expansion and revitalization.