Visualization Analysis of STEM Education Research (2014–2024): History, Research Hotspots, and Emerging Trends

STEM education is a cross-disciplinary approach that combines science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with practical applications. Although approximately 3,000 articles on STEM education have been published in core journals over the past decade (2014–2024), only a limited number of review articles have summarized the development and application of STEM education. To gain a clearer understanding of the current state, research trends, and future directions in STEM education, a comprehensive retrospective analysis is essential. This paper applies the bibliometric analysis method utilizing CiteSpace software for a quantitative analysis, visual review, and evaluation of articles published in the area of STEM education over the past decade. It quantitatively analyzes basic information such as authors, countries, and institutions to understand the essential state of development in STEM education. Then, it performs hotspot evolution analysis (co-occurrence, burst, and clustering) on keywords and highly cited articles, reviews highly cited articles to obtain a comprehensive insight into the evolution of key research hotspots and directions in different periods, and predicts emerging trends. This analysis aims to provide guidance for future research in the area of STEM education.