The evolutionary characteristics of higher education studies worldwide: central themes and regions

Abstract

Exploring the evolutionary characteristics of higher education studies across the world can provide an auxiliary reference for related research. This study used the metrological literature visualization software CiteSpace to map the co-cited network of eight higher education journals in the Social Science Citation Index, and used the Google Fusion Tables tool to establish the distribution of high-concentration regions in the higher education research worldwide. The purpose was to detect the latter’s evolving central themes and central regions. The thematic evaluations showed the phased characteristics of the transition from a macro, to a meso, to a micro study perspective. The regional assessments demonstrated a divergent diffusion trend from an institutional perspective to a national perspective with a diversified center pattern. The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, and South Africa have become centers in higher education research. The amount of literature published, the frequency of citations, the annual indicator, and the overall influence of a country are important factors influencing the formation of higher education research centers.