Research Trends on Computational Thinking in Pre-Service Teachers' Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Integrating computation thinking (CT) into pre-service teacher training programs is critical for effectively preparing educators to teach 21st-century skills to empower future generations. Despite the expanding body of literature, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research trends on computational thinking in pre-service teacher education is lacking. The study utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram to investigate and analyze publications retrieved from the Scopus database from 2017 to 2024. Descriptive statistics using pivot charts and tables were used to analyze publication output, the top journals, highly cited articles, most influential authors, and the geographical distribution of publications. The VOSviewer, a bibliometric analysis tool, was employed to examine co-authorship and bibliographic coupling with authors and keyword co-occurrences with emerging keywords such as coding, block-based programming, etc. The findings showed that the output of publications has been steadily increasing between 2017 and 2024, with the main contributions coming from journals with the most publications on CT, influential authors, publications by country, and the most cited articles. It highlights progress in the field of CT and offers insights into the field's progress, guiding future research. This insight will provide a research lens for future researchers in the field and contribute to a better understanding of how computational thinking is developing in teacher education, which could inform future research priorities and curriculum improvements. This study makes a unique use of bibliometric analysis and knowledge mapping to reveal research trends and advances in computational thinking in teacher training programs.