Trends in Out-of-School Youth Research: Focusing on keyword network analysis

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore research directions for supporting out-of-school youth by examining domestic research trends on the topic of ‘out-of-school youth’ through keyword network analysis. Methods To this end, we searched for studies on ‘out-of-school youth’ published in academic journals registered with the National Research Foundation of Korea from 2004 to 2024. Jun., selected a total of 300 papers as analysis subjects, and conducted frequency analysis and keyword network analysis centered on keywords presented in the papers. Results First, research on ‘out-of-school youth’ began with the first article in 2007, and has steadily increased since the enactment of the Act on Support for Out-of-School Youth in 2014, and has rapidly increased since 2020. Second, in terms of keyword appearance frequency, ‘career’ was the most important keyword, followed by ‘addiction’, ‘juvenile delinquency’, ‘social stigma’, and ‘alternative education’. Third, as a result of centrality analysis, keywords with high degree of connection centrality were identified as ‘career’, ‘parent-child relationship’, ‘self-esteem’, ‘social stigma’, ‘social support’, ‘depression’, ‘emotional regulation’, ‘parental parenting attitude’, ‘juvenile delinquency’, and ‘program’. Conclusions This study systematically understands the trends of out-of-school youth research through keyword network analysis, and suggests future research directions and policy implications. This will ultimately contribute to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for out-of-school youth.