Scientometric study of a co-authorship network on mathematics education. An analysis of the research fields based on Delphi method

Abstract

Co-authorhip networks indirectly express complex scientific collaboration processes that transcend the institutional and national spheres. This study is aimed to identify co-authorship networks in the field of mathematics education, in order to determine structural framework and research fields in one largely visible network. Bibliometric methods are used, based on 8577 documents registered in Scopus (period 1969-2018), supported by co-authoring networks to identify the groups with the greatest direct or indirect activity. The Delphi method is also used with a panel of 21 experts at two rounds, in order to determine the respective research fields. The study reveals an accelerated growth of scientific productivity, with a tendency to collective over individual work, mainly in the last decade. Nine co-authoring clusters of greater activity are identified, whose research objects are determined based on three analysis units: scope, content and context.