Research Trends of Technological Learning: A Scientometric Study

Scientometric research, with its capacity to evaluate scientific research and use multiple indicators to explain the potentials and the scientific and technological performance in various dimensions, has gained popularity amongst researchers. This field of inquiry is employed in various studies with the main objective of quantitative examination of a wide range of scientific data. This study aims at a scientometric study in the journal of Computer and Education whose main objective is to map out the topics of the articles and present the upcoming research paths. The purpose of selecting this journal is to address the latest research in one of the most specialized journals in the field of educational technology.

In terms of method, this study is categorized in the generality of meta-nalysis method and among applied studies which has been carried out in using the method of scientometric and bibliographic research studies. . In this research, library study methods have been used to study the theoretical literature and collect researchdata. The analysis unit included all articles published in the Journal of Computers & Education between 2010-2021 and the source of data collection was the Scopus citation database and search for articles by means of the journal title. The search results included 2597 articles. A set of scientometric methods and tools have been used to provide a suiatble analysis and interpretion of the results.

Based on the results, 2597 articles were written by 5928 authors among which the highest number of these articles was written by one author and the average collaboration index for authors was 2.5. The United States, Taiwan, and Spain had the most scientific output, and among the authors, Huang, Chen, and Thassi had the highest number of scholarly articles. This issue highlights the important role and influence of these authors in the journal. A systematic literature review of empirical evidence on computer games and serious games was identified as the most important article and the focus of the research in this journal is more related to learning.

In general, the most significant topics in computer and education journals is the use of digital technologies in the field of distance education and learning. The analysis of the research findings showed that the articles published in the Computer and Education Journal are diversely distributed in different scientific subjects and a broad interest from a variety of research perspectives can be noted. Also, the analysis of keywords for the studied articles showed four thematic developments for journal research in areas, such as e-learning, improving learning or teaching methods, developing educational approaches and the application of digital technologies in learning. The findings in the current study can provide some directions for future research on technological learning. It is suggested that future studies examine which pedagogical issues are the most relevant to the research community through meta-analysis to find how to integrate specific technological tools to aid teaching and learning activities. In addition, how interactive e-learning environments are designed to better meet learners' needs can be explored through further design-based research. In particular, what kind of technology tools can provide better academic performance and learning in educational or student-centered learning environments can be further explored