Global Trends in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis
List of Authors
Ida Safzatul Iffa Halim, Mitzy Macaraeg, Ng Yu Jin, Norwati Roslim, Syarifah Mahani Syed Shiek
Keyword
Early Childhood Education, Bibliometric Analysis, VOSviewer
Abstract
This study aims to provide a comprehensive and centralized reference for educators and researchers involved in Early Childhood Education by examining global patterns of scholarly work in the field. The study focuses on evaluating how research in Early Childhood Education has evolved over time, identifying the main thematic areas explored by scholars, and highlighting the most influential contributors, including authors, institutions and countries. A bibliometric approach was applied to a large collection of publications related to Early Childhood Education retrieved from the Scopus database in November 2025. The analysis was supported by VOSviewer software, which was used to visualize co-authorship networks, keyword linkages and citation relationships. The findings show that Early Childhood Education research has been developing since 1950, with noticeable growth beginning in the early two thousand. Publication activity increased steadily, reaching its highest point in the year 2025. Although the volume of research has expanded over the decades, the patterns of collaboration among researchers indicate that cooperation in this field is still relatively limited. The insights gained from this bibliometric analysis serve as a meaningful reference for future scholars, offering a structured overview that can support evidence-based work such as meta-analyses, systematic reviews and other forms of scholarly inquiry in Early Childhood Education.