Application of Virtual Reality in Computer Science Education: A Systemic Review Based on Bibliometric and Content Analysis Methods

Abstract

This study investigated the role of virtual reality (VR) in computer science (CS) education over the last 10 years by conducting a bibliometric and content analysis of articles related to the use of VR in CS education. A total of 971 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences were collected from Web of Science and Scopus databases to conduct the bibliometric analysis. Furthermore, content analysis was conducted on 39 articles that met the inclusion criteria. This study demonstrates that VR research for CS education was faring well around 2011 but witnessed low production output between the years 2013 and 2016. However, scholars have increased their contribution in this field recently, starting from the year 2017. This study also revealed prolific scholars contributing to the field. It provides insightful information regarding research hotspots in VR that have emerged recently, which can be further explored to enhance CS education. In addition, the quantitative method remains the most preferred research method, while the questionnaire was the most used data collection technique. Moreover, descriptive analysis was primarily used in studies on VR in CS education. The study concludes that even though scholars are leveraging VR to advance CS education, more effort needs to be made by stakeholders across countries and institutions. In addition, a more rigorous methodological approach needs to be employed in future studies to provide more evidence-based research output. Our future study would investigate the pedagogy, content, and context of studies on VR in CS education.

Quantum Physics Education Research over the Last Two Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Bibliometric analysis has gained popularity in science education research in recent years: The scientific output on topics such as physics problem solving [22], STEAM education [23], digital literacy in higher education [24], scientific literacy [25], the role of virtual reality in computer science education [21] or the linking behaviour in the physics education research co-authorship network [26] were-among others-analysed bibliometrically. That is the case because bibliometric analysis is helpful for (a) uncovering and mapping cumulative scientific research foci and (b) producing a thorough overview of scientific output and its development over time in the research area under investigation [27].…”

“…For this purpose, we refrain from a detailed content analysis of the field of quantum physics education research, which has already been provided by the review articles mentioned above. Instead, we approach the output of the scientific community in the field of quantum physics education research from an overarching, namely bibliometric, perspective for the period from 2000 to 2021, because previous research stated that bibliometric studies complement existing meta-analyses or systematic literature reviews when it comes to the scientific evaluation of research in a given field [21]. In light of this, we pose the following research questions:…”

Multimodal Technologies in Precision Education: Providing New Opportunities or Adding More Challenges?

“…The technological evolution has enabled individuals to produce and access information without any spatiotemporal limitations [89]. The initial emergence of computergenerated (artificial) multimedia environments, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), introduced a new form of information sharing while also making the available content more intuitive and appealing for the end-users [90][91][92]. Despite the never-ending debates concerning the application of such solutions in the consumer market, the integration of VR in education has demonstrated significant benefits [93][94][95].…”

Bibliometric Analysis of Clinical Decision Support Systems

“…Agbo et al (2021a) presented the trend and thematic focus on smart learning environments by conducting a bibliometric analysis of articles published in journals in the Scopus database. Agbo et al (2021b) made content and bibliometric analyses of studies on the use of virtual reality in computer science education in another study. Saqr et al (2021) carried out the bibliometric analysis of 1,874 documents on computational thinking from the Scopus database.…”