An Examination of Articles on Critical Thinking in Science Education: An Analysis Using Bibliometric Mapping

Abstract

Critical thinking (CT) is a high-level thinking skill that should be gained in raising individuals who can analyze facts, make independent decisions, make comparisons, and make inferences. On the other hand, these varying states require the inclusion of new acquisitions, such as CT, as the focal point of education. This skill is critical in science education (SE) and has been the subject of many studies. The research examined the articles published on critical thinking in SE using bibliometric mapping analysis. It is crucial to guide researchers by revealing research trends in this field. In the research, 377 articles in SSCI, SCI-Expanded, A&HCI and ESCI indexes related to critical thinking in science education were examined and the last access date is June 2023.The results obtained from the analysis demonstrated that the studies on CT in SE tended to decrease when the distribution of years was examined; the studies focused on STEM and undergraduate education. It has been determined that the country with the most publications in this field is the USA, and the institution with the most references is the State University of New York Suny System. Finally, it was seen that the most cited author was Chang, Shao-Chen, and the journal was Journal of Research in Science Teaching. The results obtained from the research will guide future research since they reveal the current situation in examining the concept of CT in SE.