Research on educational games in STEM area 2010-2020: A bibliometric analysis of literature

Abstract

Research on educational games in STEM area have proliferated over the past decade. Various topics on educational games in STEM settings have emerged, showing the complex, dynamic and multi-disciplinary nature of the field. In this context, there is a need for an extensive, thematic overview of related studies for a better understanding of this STEM domain. Using co-word analysis and text analysis methods, this study presents a bibliometric analysis of 260 articles on educational games in STEM area published in academic journals and conference proceedings from 2010 to 2020. The results identify some research themes in the field, which are further categorized into computational thinking, game design, simulation and projects. By incorporating the analysis results with relevant reviews, this study offers a comprehensive picture and a holistic view of educational games in STEM area, and suggests directions for further work.