Comprehensive science mapping of STEM studies in gifted education

Abstract

The integration of gifted learners into STEM education has raised two key issues: providing suitable learning experiences for them and utilising their potential to contribute to the ultimate goals of STEM education. Hence, research in this area is essential for both researchers and practitioners in gifted education. The purpose of this study was to examine pertinent trends in recent years as revealed by the bibliometric analysis of published studies on STEM in gifted education. A total of 170 publications on gifted and STEM education obtained from Web of Science and Scopus databases were examined. The PRISMA model was used for data collection. RStudio was employed for data analysis. The results of the study revealed that 59 different journals, 170 articles, and 332 authors had contributed to the field of STEM in gifted education. The most frequently used keywords in research in both databases were "STEM", "gifted students", "gifted education", and "talent development". The most productive journals on STEM-related studies in gifted education were Rooper Review and Gifted Child Quarterly. The most relevant authors were C. June Maker and Paula Olszewski-Kubilius. The most productive institutions were the Northwestern University and the University of North Texas. Trending topics have evolved from gender differences to enrichment and science mathematically focused subjects, and then technology and engineering focused stem and talent development.