Analysis of Research Trends in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation Using Text Mining-Based Topic Modeling: 2004∼2023

This study utilized text mining techniques, a form of big data analysis, to examine research trends in vocational rehabilitation by conducting topic modeling and topic trend analysis on papers published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. Using a web crawling program, information was collected from the titles, keywords, and abstracts of 411 papers published in the journal over a 20-year period from 2004 to 2023. The collected data was then analyzed and compared using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) technique to derive topics. The research findings are as follows: First, frequency analysis of all keywords revealed the highest occurrences for terms such as 'vocational rehabilitation', 'persons with disabilities', 'job satisfaction', 'employment of persons with disabilities', 'injured workers', and 'severely disabled persons'. Second, topic modeling techniques extracted five main topics: ①Vocational rehabilitation and employment support, supported employment for severely disabled and women with disabilities, ②Operation and efficiency of vocational rehabilitation and sales facilities, application of assistive technology, ③Quality of life for persons with disabilities, self-esteem, vocational rehabilitation for those with mental and developmental disabilities, ④Work environment and job satisfaction, vocational and transition education, independence and social integration, and ⑤Vocational rehabilitation services, job retention, and vocational rehabilitation for injured workers. Over time, vocational rehabilitation and employment, particularly for severely disabled individuals and women with disabilities, have consistently been major themes. While the operation of vocational rehabilitation and sales facilities received attention initially, interest has declined recently due to the expansion of infrastructure and diverse employment programs. However, employment for individuals with developmental and mental disabilities and vocational rehabilitation for injured workers have emerged as key topics. This study suggests that the future advancement of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation necessitates not only quantitative proliferation of scholarly works but also several critical developments: expansion of research domains that align with contemporary paradigms encompassing disability rights and social integration; development of disability-specific vocational rehabilitation and support methodologies; innovative approaches leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies; and multifaceted interventions aimed at enhancing psychosocial competencies.