Trends, Impact, and Thematic Evolution of Physics Education: A Bibliometric and Topic Modelling Analysis of Six Decades of Publications

Abstract

Physics Education has played a prominent role in advancing physics education research since its establishment in 1966. However, a comprehensive investigation of its publication trends, impact, and thematic evolution over six decades remains limited. This study examines the journal development through a bibliometric analysis of publications over six decades. Following a PRISMA-based screening process, 6,311 documents were retained from an initial dataset of 7,709 records. Publication trends, citation impact, leading countries and institutions, topic modeling, and topic evolution were analyzed to examine the journal's development and thematic structure. The results indicate sustained growth in publication output, significantly after the digital and information era. The UK and the US emerged as the most productive contributors and accumulated the highest total citations, whereas Germany and Norway achieved the highest citation impact in terms of citations per paper. This pattern was further reinforced by increasing contributions from countries in Asia and the Global South, reflecting the growing internationalization of the journal. Major research themes include force and motion experiments, energy and light experiments, laboratory-based learning, conceptual understanding, and physics teacher education. Topic prevalence analysis indicates that, while experimental and laboratory-based studies have remained a defining feature of Physics Education, increasing attention has been devoted to conceptual understanding, assessment, technology-supported instruction, and pedagogical innovation in recent decades. Overall, Physics Education has evolved from a journal primarily centered on laboratory experiments and instructional demonstrations into a multidisciplinary venue emphasizing conceptual understanding, educational technology, and contemporary innovations in physics teaching and learning.