An R Studio Bibliometrix Analysis of Global Research Trends of Educational Crises in 2020s

Abstract

The article uses R Studio Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and Connected Papers to structure the scientific work of scientists on the development of educational systems during socio-economic, political, migration, pandemic, and climate crises in the 2020s. The research is based on more than 970 publications (articles, conference abstracts, monographs, and their sections) indexed by Scopus in 2020–2024, selected by keywords: "educational crisis," "education policy response," "education disruption," and "learning loss." The publication activity grew at an annual rate of 16.45%, peaking in 2023, while the peak of public interest (determined by Google Trends) was in 2022. The study consists of seven parts: the first examines shifts and patterns in the fields of educational crisis; the second analyzes influential publications; the third identifies key research institutions; the fourth explores various counties; the fifth highlights prominent researchers in these fields; the sixth delves into key areas of study; and the seventh uncovers core themes and insights in the research. The study identifies a number of important areas of concentration for the study of educational crises from a thematic perspective. These include education disruption and learning loss, and the broader impact of these issues on inclusive growth and sustainable development. Among all the crises that took place in the world in 2020–2024, COVID-19 and the full-scale war in Ukraine had the greatest impact on the transformation of education systems. China and the United States dominate the world in terms of publication activity and citation of articles by scientists from these countries (their point of view actually determines the emphasis with which the scientific world speaks about challenges in education), while scientists from Australia, India, and the United Kingdom have significantly increased their research activity in this area over the study period. The findings of this study are aimed at understanding the causes and consequences of educational crises and formulating recovery plans to mitigate global risks.

Keywords

• educational crisis
• education disruption
• learning loss
• biblioshiny
• bibliometric analysis