The Scientific Inquiry Approach. A Study on Bibliometric and Thematic Development in Education

Abstract

This research describes and analyzes bibliometric trends in the performance, impact, and thematic development of intellectual production studying the inquiry-based science education approach in education. The increase in proposals for methodologies, strategies, and resources based on this approach to teaching experimental sciences, which focuses on promoting scientific thinking skills, makes its study relevant from a bibliometric perspective. The search in the Web of Science database, along with an identification and screening process, allowed the inclusion of data from 468 documents, which were analyzed using the Biblioshiny by Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and SciMAT software, studying variables such as annual production, journals and impact, authors, countries, keywords, and thematic lines. The results reveal growth in intellectual production in recent years, with a predominance of Anglo-Saxon origin and limited representation from Latin America. At the thematic level, the didactic nature of the approach is highlighted, as well as its strong relationship with topics such as the nature of science and scientific literacy, suggesting the coexistence of diverse visions of inquiry-based science education.