Analysis of research trends related to college student immersion through keyword network analysis

Objectives This study aims to examine the trends of previous research on immersion involving university students through keyword network analysis and to identify the patterns within this body of research. Methods Based on a total of 436 papers related to immersion, this study utilized Textom to apply text mining techniques, analyzing key keywords related to university student immersion, patterns of connectivity concerning student immersion, and clustering relationships among network keywords related to student immersion. For analysis, matrices were extracted to calculate values for word clouds, word frequency, keyword TF-IDF values, and social network analysis. Additionally, the study analyzed the relationships among co-occurring keywords in studies on student immersion using N-gram analysis. CONCOR analysis was also conducted to derive word similarity clusters. Results Through an analysis of studies on immersion involving university students, the following research findings were derived. Since 2011, studies related to immersion have expanded, with a variety of perspectives forming academic trends, especially around the COVID period. Research topics related to immersion, such as competency development, learning engagement, and career choice, were prominent. Additionally, it was observed that communication and collaboration within various organizations became possible on the basis of digital media, with a trend toward focusing on immersion in digital devices and media communication as specific research subjects. There was also an academic interest in the social phenomenon of the younger generation pursuing happiness through immersion experiences related to leisure and well-being. On the other hand, it was noted that in an uncertain social outlook, students’ immersion has increasingly become oriented toward problematic subjects or skewed toward negative behavioral patterns. Conclusions As there have been no prior studies analyzing trends in university student immersion research using keyword network analysis methodology, this study is expected to contribute to exploring new directions for future research on university student immersion.