Two decades of STEM education studies in higher education: A bibliometric analysis

STEM education is gaining more attention due to its significant contribution to educational development. The authors employed bibliometric analysis to determine how STEM education research was developing. The study aims to present an up-to-date overview of the STEM education research landscape in the context of higher education from 2002 to 2022. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 1,282 papers were downloaded from the Scopus database for further analysis. Data analysis included publications and citations, the most frequently cited documents, sources, institutions, the most influential countries, the most prolific authors, co-authorship for authors and countries, and co-occurrence of author keywords using VOSviewer software. There has been an increasing trend in the number of publications from 2002 to 2022, peaking in 2020 with 180 articles. The work by Henderson et al. (2011) is the most frequently cited document, with 554 citations to date. In terms of the most productive source, the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition leads the field. The United States and Purdue University emerged as the most productive country and institution, respectively. Carmen C. is identified as the most active author, while Wang X. is the most influential. Frequently occurring keywords include “STEM education”, “STEM” and “Higher education.” The findings highlight the practical need for higher education institutions to prioritise active learning strategies, diversity, and international collaboration to advance STEM education globally.