Bibliometric evaluation based on Web of Science database: nature and environmental education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present studies on nature and environmental education in related literature from 1977 to the present time by using bibliometric method. Nature and environmental education, which has an increasing popularity especially in the last years, gain a place in so many countries’ teaching policy. Thus, increasing number of scientific studies and researches on this field in the related literature draw attention. In this study, publications in nature and environmental education have been examined both bibliometrically and in content, and their distribution by years, institutions, journals, citations and the features of co-works have been presented with descriptive and visual maps. Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database has been used in obtaining data. “Nature education” and “Environmental education” terms were scanned with the aim of reaching highest number of studies from database. A total of 1312 publications have been included in study through various filtering processes. Bibliometric analysis techniques have been used in data analysis. VOSviewer programme has been used in determining the network analysis of those data obtained. In the study, the distribution of publications by years, the authors with the most publications, the journals, institutions and countries with the most publications have been determined. Besides, those data obtained have been discussed in the light of related literature by forming visual maps together with co-author, co-citation taken together, co-word and co-citation analyses. At the end of the study, some suggestions have been provided in the light of findings obtained.