Modern learning paradigms: A bibliometric analysis of augmented reality and virtual reality in vocational education

Abstract

This bibliometric analysis aims to explore the publication trends of the last decade, especially on modern learning paradigms that focus on implementing Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in vocational education. This research specifically addresses the analysis of current technology trends, gaps, challenges, strengths, and opportunities of AR and VR during (2015-2024). This research method uses the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)" protocol to collect data from publications focusing on high-quality research results. Data acquisition was analyzed and identified using MS Excel software and VOSciewer to visualize various critical metadata obtained in the Scopus database. Notably, publication trends and distribution patterns, the contributions of authors, the geographical spread of publications, and the identification of significant publication sources are all essential for analyzing the opportunities and challenges within the context of vocational education. The results of this study identified an augmenting growth of publication trends from 2015-2023, including the country of origin of prominent authors such as Bacca et al. (Spain), Babu et al. (India), and Lerner et al. (Germany), whose research results have been proven to impact the primary reference in the field of vocational education in the utilization of AR and VR. It is widely cited and has become the primary reference for other authors. Consequently, this bibliometric-based research underscores the potential of AR and VR technologies to improve vocational education by enhancing motivation, educational access, personalized learning, collaboration, and reducing operational costs.