Digital didactic materials for the teaching/learning of the natural sciences: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The impact of technology on different areas of everyday life is getting greater and greater. The degree of digitization in schools has increased exponentially in recent years, both organizationally and didactically. Proof of this is the increased production of digital teaching materials for all areas and stages of education. This article focuses on such materials for the area of Natural Sciences. A bibliometric study was carried out to map the production in the area based on a search of scientific articles deposited in the Scopus and WOS databases. Ninety-one articles were analyzed based on growth, collaboration, and thematic evolution indicators. The results showed increased scientific production on the subject in the last five years, the weight of countries such as the United States, and a considerable degree of collaboration between countries. Regarding thematic evolution, there is a focus on gamification, active learning, and e-learning, and these appear as basic or fundamental themes. Motivation, literacy or digital literacy, and science education appear as driving themes, suggesting a possible research agenda for the coming years. This data enables the identification of authors and reference sources for future research on the subject. As future lines of research, it is interesting to continue exploring and reflecting on the role of digital teaching materials in teaching/learning processes by introducing analyses in other databases, conducting a content analysis, and introducing altimetry.