Examination of studies on scientific process skills in science education through bibliometric and content analysis

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of academic research on scientific process skills (SPS) in science education using meticulously extracted data from the Web of Science (WoS) database. A holistic approach was employed in the research, integrating bibliometric analysis and content analysis to reveal general trends and thematic structures in the literature. Specifically, bibliometric analysis was employed to examine the most frequently cited studies on inter-author collaborations and keyword trends on SPS. Content analysis provides a unique contribution to our study by detailing the analysis of these publications. A distinguishing feature of this study is the use of a more extensive data set and a more extended period than previous studies, providing a more comprehensive picture of the evolution of research on SPS over time. The VosViwer bibliometric analysis software employs an array of analytical methods, including citation analysis, co-author analysis, keyword matching, and collaboration network analysis, to identify trends within the field. The analysis encompasses studies published from the inaugural study in 1992 through August 2024. The findings reveal a substantial increase in publications, with 2020 demonstrating the highest number of publications. In contrast, the average number of publications during the preceding five-year period was restricted to eight per year. Most of these publications are classified under "Education, Educational Research," with a smaller number falling under "Biology." This observation suggests that the primary focus of SPS research is within the educational context. Furthermore, the study revealed that publications in the SSCI and ESCI indexes are more prevalent, while there are fewer studies in the SCI-E index. The prominent researchers in this field include Kamisah Osman, Hatice Zeynep Inan, and Susan A. Kirch. A notable observation was Turkey's high ranking in terms of country distribution. This observation indicates that researchers have dedicated significant attention to the SPS in the context of science education. The most prevalent keywords in the analyzed studies were "SPS," "science education," "inquiry," and "assessment." Over time, there has been an upward trend in the use of terms such as "inquiry-based learning," "teacher education," and "elementary education." The most prominent academic journals in this field include the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and the International Journal of Science Education. Notwithstanding the strides made, the study underscores Turkish researchers' need to enhance their visibility and cultivate national journals to attain international standards.