A Bibliometric Analysis: Metaverse in Education Concept

During the last decade technological transformation prospered, and digital environments such as Metaverse started to come to life. Metaverse is a hypothesis of the next generation of the Internet, which consists of an online 3D virtual environment and limited physical interaction. Due to the growth of Metaverse technology in various fields and the importance of using it in education, it is being observed that published research related to this topic is also growing. Therefore, the purpose is this study is to review and identify the application areas of this emerging technology for the education field by providing a bibliometric analysis of the literature related to Metaverse. This research contributes to literature as it addresses the status, gaps, and the direction for future research. In the bibliometric analysis, an electronic search was done via a scientific database named Dimensions by combining topic-related keywords for ‘metaverse’ and ‘education’ within the time frame of 2004 and 2022. The data gathered by a data extraction table from 5,048 articles retrieved and analysis run by VOSviewer data visualization tool. Of 5,048 articles found through the initial search, most of the studies (48.02%) were published in 2022, and Singapore, Japan, China, and UK are the main countries for the studies and citations appearing dominantly. The main three keywords for ‘metaverse’ and ‘education’ articles include: virtual worlds, video and metaverse platforms. The use of metaverse in education has been expanding rapidly in literature during recent years. Yet this study reveals that research is still limited to the main four countries, and studied subtopics are very primitive and vague. Available citations show weak link strength meaning the depth of the studies in the literature is not satisfactory, yet, which is because the metaverse itself is not enough without the supporting technologies. Educators and scientific researchers could rethink what types of technologies belong to the metaverse and how it has the potential to influence the education sector. Policymakers and educators could refer to this study for metaverse learning environment expansion of their future policy and executions.

A Bibliometric Analysis: Metaverse in Education Concept

During the last decade technological transformation prospered, and digital environments such as Metaverse started to come to life. Metaverse is a hypothesis of the next generation of the Internet, which consists of an online 3D virtual environment and limited physical interaction. Due to the growth of Metaverse technology in various fields and the importance of using it in education, it is being observed that published research related to this topic is also growing. Therefore, the purpose is this study is to review and identify the application areas of this emerging technology for the education field by providing a bibliometric analysis of the literature related to Metaverse. This research contributes to literature as it addresses the status, gaps, and the direction for future research. In the bibliometric analysis, an electronic search was done via a scientific database named Dimensions by combining topic-related keywords for ‘metaverse’ and ‘education’ within the time frame of 2004 and 2022. The data gathered by a data extraction table from 5,048 articles retrieved and analysis run by VOSviewer data visualization tool. Of 5,048 articles found through the initial search, most of the studies (48.02%) were published in 2022, and Singapore, Japan, China, and UK are the main countries for the studies and citations appearing dominantly. The main three keywords for ‘metaverse’ and ‘education’ articles include: virtual worlds, video and metaverse platforms. The use of metaverse in education has been expanding rapidly in literature during recent years. Yet this study reveals that research is still limited to the main four countries, and studied subtopics are very primitive and vague. Available citations show weak link strength meaning the depth of the studies in the literature is not satisfactory, yet, which is because the metaverse itself is not enough without the supporting technologies. Educators and scientific researchers could rethink what types of technologies belong to the metaverse and how it has the potential to influence the education sector. Policymakers and educators could refer to this study for metaverse learning environment expansion of their future policy and executions.

___

  • Joy, A., Zhu, Y., Peña, C., & Brouard, M. (2022). Digital future of luxury brands: Metaverse, digital fashion, and non‐fungible tokens. Strategic Change, 31(3), 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsc.2502
  • Yu, J. E. (2022). Exploration of Educational Possibilities by Four Metaverse Types in Physical Education. Technologies, 10(5), 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies10050104
  • Buchholz, F., Oppermann, L., & Prinz, W. (2022). There’s more than one metaverse. I-com, 21(3), 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1515/icom-2022-0034
  • Ifdil, I., Situmorang, D. D. B., Firman, F., Zola, N., Rangka, I. B., & Fadli, R. P. (2022). Virtual reality in Metaverse for future mental health-helping profession: an alternative solution to the mental health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdac049
  • Suh, W., & Ahn, S. (2022). Utilizing the Metaverse for Learner-Centered Constructivist Education in the Post-Pandemic Era: An Analysis of Elementary School Students. Journal of Intelligence, 10(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10010017
  • Ko, S. H., & Rogers, J. (2021). Functional Materials and Devices for XR (VR/AR/MR) Applications. Advanced Functional Materials, 31(39), 2106546. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202106546
  • Ng, D. T. K. (2022). What is the metaverse? Definitions, technologies and the community of inquiry. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 38(4), 190–205. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.7945
  • Kraus, S., Kanbach, D. K., Krysta, P. M., Steinhoff, M. M., & Tomini, N. (2022). Facebook and the creation of the metaverse: radical business model innovation or incremental transformation? International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior &Amp; Research, 28(9), 52–77. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-12-2021-0984
  • Pyun, K. R., Rogers, J. A., & Ko, S. H. (2022). Materials and devices for immersive virtual reality. Nature Reviews Materials, 7(11), 841–843. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-022-00501-5
  • Yliopisto, H. M. T. (2022). A Critical Look at Metaverse Viewpoints. https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/345416
  • Rana, S., Udunuwara, M., Dewasiri, N., Kashif, M., & Rathnasiri, M. S. H. (2022). Editorial: Is South Asia ready for the next universe – metaverse? Arguments and suggestions for further research. South Asian Journal of Marketing, 3(2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.1108/sajm-10-2022-141
  • Shin, D. (2022). The actualization of meta affordances: Conceptualizing affordance actualization in the metaverse games. Computers in Human Behavior, 133, 107292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107292
  • Figueiredo, S. C. (2022). Rhetoric in the metaverse. Convergence: The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 135485652211383. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221138399
  • Suanpang, P., Niamsorn, C., Pothipassa, P., Chunhapataragul, T., Netwong, T., & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2022). Extensible Metaverse Implication for a Smart Tourism City. Sustainability, 14(21), 14027. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114027
  • Park, S., & Kim, S. (2022). Identifying World Types to Deliver Gameful Experiences for Sustainable Learning in the Metaverse. Sustainability, 14(3), 1361. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031361
  • Weinberger, M. (2022). What Is Metaverse?—A Definition Based on Qualitative Meta-Synthesis. Future Internet, 14(11), 310. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi14110310
  • Wang, X., Wang, J., Wu, C., Xu, S., & Ma, W. (2022). Engineering Brain: Metaverse for future engineering. AI In Civil Engineering, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43503-022-00001-z
  • Faraboschi, P., Frachtenberg, E., Laplante, P., Milojicic, D., & Saracco, R. (2022). Virtual Worlds (Metaverse): From Skepticism, to Fear, to Immersive Opportunities. Computer, 55(10), 100–106. https://doi.org/10.1109/mc.2022.3192702
  • Hwang, R., & Lee, M. (2022). The Influence of Music Content Marketing on User Satisfaction and Intention to Use in the Metaverse: A Focus on the SPICE Model. Businesses, 2(2), 141–155. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses2020010
  • Yang, Q., Zhao, Y., Huang, H., Xiong, Z., Kang, J., & Zheng, Z. (2022). Fusing Blockchain and AI With Metaverse: A Survey. IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society, 3, 122–136. https://doi.org/10.1109/ojcs.2022.3188249
  • Bojic, L. (2022). Metaverse through the prism of power and addiction: what will happen when the virtual world becomes more attractive than reality? European Journal of Futures Research, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40309-022-00208-4
  • Peukert, C., Weinhardt, C., Hinz, O., & Van Der Aalst, W. M. P. (2022). Metaverse: How to Approach Its Challenges from a BISE Perspective. Business &Amp; Information Systems Engineering, 64(4), 401–406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-022-00765-9
  • Suzuki, S. N., Kanematsu, H., Barry, D. M., Ogawa, N., Yajima, K., Nakahira, K. T., Shirai, T., Kawaguchi, M., Kobayashi, T., & Yoshitake, M. (2020). Virtual Experiments in Metaverse and their Applications to Collaborative Projects: The framework and its significance. Procedia Computer Science, 176, 2125–2132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.09.249
  • Zallio, M., & Clarkson, P. J. (2022). Designing the metaverse: A study on inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and safety for digital immersive environments. Telematics and Informatics, 75, 101909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101909
  • Wu, T. C., & Ho, C. T. B. (2022). A scoping review of metaverse in emergency medicine. Australasian Emergency Care. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2022.08.002
  • Wang, G., Badal, A., Jia, X., Maltz, J. S., Mueller, K., Myers, K. J., Niu, C., Vannier, M., Yan, P., Yu, Z., & Zeng, R. (2022). Development of metaverse for intelligent healthcare. Nature Machine Intelligence, 4(11), 922–929. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-022-00549-6
  • Lee, C. W. (2022). Application of Metaverse Service to Healthcare Industry: A Strategic Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(20), 13038. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013038
  • Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
  • Jiang, Y., Kaynak, O., Luo, H., Liu, M., & Yin, S. (2022). Industrial Metaverse: Solutions from a higher-dimensional world. Tech Rxiv. https://doi.org/10.36227/techrxiv.21547644.v1
  • Cheng, R., Wu, N., Chen, S., & Han, B. (2022). Reality Check of Metaverse: A First Look at Commercial Social Virtual Reality Platforms. 2022 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW). https://doi.org/10.1109/vrw55335.2022.00040
  • Zheng, D., Young, M. F., Wagner, M. M., & Brewer, R. A. (2009). Negotiation for Action: English Language Learning in Game-Based Virtual Worlds. The Modern Language Journal, 93(4), 489–511. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00927.x
  • Wang, M., Yu, H., Bell, Z., & Chu, X. (2022). Constructing an Edu-Metaverse Ecosystem: A New and Innovative Framework. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1109/tlt.2022.3210828
  • Li, H., Cui, C., & Jiang, S. (2022). Strategy for improving the football teaching quality by AI and metaverse-empowered in mobile internet environment. Wireless Networks. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11276-022-03000-1
  • Regivaldo, S. F., Rogério Aparecido, C. X., & Alex Sandro, R. A. (2021). Virtual reality as a tool for basic and vocational education. Metaverse, 2(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.54517/met.v2i1.1801
  • Mistretta, S. (2022). The Metaverse—An Alternative Education Space. AI, Computer Science and Robotics Technology, 2022, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.5772/acrt.05
  • Rospigliosi, P. A. (2022). Adopting the metaverse for learning environments means more use of deep learning artificial intelligence: this presents challenges and problems. Interactive Learning Environments, 30(9), 1573–1576. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2132034
  • Lee, H., Woo, D., & Yu, S. (2022). Virtual Reality Metaverse System Supplementing Remote Education Methods: Based on Aircraft Maintenance Simulation. Applied Sciences, 12(5), 2667. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052667
  • Jovanović, A., & Milosavljević, A. (2022). VoRtex Metaverse Platform for Gamified Collaborative Learning. Electronics, 11(3), 317. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11030317
  • Dahan, N. A., Al-Razgan, M., Al-Laith, A., Alsoufi, M. A., Al-Asaly, M. S., & Alfakih, T. (2022). Metaverse Framework: A Case Study on E-Learning Environment (ELEM). Electronics, 11(10), 1616. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11101616
  • Park, S. M., & Kim, Y. G. (2022). A Metaverse: Taxonomy, Components, Applications, and Open Challenges. IEEE Access, 10, 4209–4251. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2021.3140175
  • Belei, N., Noteborn, G., & De Ruyter, K. (2011). It’s a brand new world: Teaching brand management in virtual environments. Journal of Brand Management, 18(8), 611–623. https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.6
  • Tlili, A. (2022, July 6). Is Metaverse in education a blessing or a curse: a combined content and bibliometric analysis - Smart Learning Environments. SpringerOpen. https://slejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40561-022-00205-x
  • Dincelli, E., & Yayla, A. (2022). Immersive virtual reality in the age of the Metaverse: A hybrid-narrative review based on the technology affordance perspective. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 31(2), 101717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2022.101717
  • Lee, H., & Hwang, Y. (2022). Technology-Enhanced Education through VR-Making and Metaverse-Linking to Foster Teacher Readiness and Sustainable Learning. Sustainability, 14(8), 4786. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084786
  • Eker, S., Rovenskaya, E., Langan, S. J., & Obersteiner, M. (2019). Model validation: A bibliometric analysis of the literature. Environmental Modelling and Software, 117, 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.03.009
  • Servantie, V., Cabrol, M., Guieu, G., & Boissin, J. (2016). Is international entrepreneurship a field? A bibliometric analysis of the literature (1989–2015). Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 14(2), 168–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10843-015-0162-8
  • Yu, Y., Li, Y., Zhang, Z., Gu, Z., Zhong, H., Zha, Q., Yang, L., Zhu, C., & Chen, E. (2020). A bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer of publications on COVID-19. Annals of Translational Medicine, 8(13), 816. https://doi.org/10.21037/atm-20-4235
  • Kent Baker, H., Pandey, N., Kumar, S., & Haldar, A. (2020). A bibliometric analysis of board diversity: Current status, development, and future research directions. Journal of Business Research, 108, 232–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.025
  • Kuzior, A., & Sira, M. (2022). A Bibliometric Analysis of Blockchain Technology Research Using VOSviewer. Sustainability, 14(13), 8206. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14138206
  • Raman, R., Subramaniam, N., Nair, V. K., Shivdas, A., Achuthan, K., & Nedungadi, P. (2022). Women Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development: Bibliometric Analysis and Emerging Research Trends. Sustainability, 14(15), 9160. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159160
  • Paul, J., Lim, W. M., O’Cass, A., Hao, A. W., & Bresciani, S. (2021). Scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews (SPAR‐4‐SLR). International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12695
  • Cobo, M., López-Herrera, A., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Herrera, F. (2012). SciMAT: A new science mapping analysis software tool. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(8), 1609–1630. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22688
  • Tamala, J. K., Maramag, E. I., Simeon, K. A., & Ignacio, J. J. (2022). A bibliometric analysis of sustainable oil and gas production research using VOSviewer. Cleaner Engineering and Technology, 7, 100437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2022.100437
  • Hutchins, B. I., Yuan, X., Anderson, J. M., & Santangelo, G. M. (2016). Relative Citation Ratio (RCR): A New Metric That Uses Citation Rates to Measure Influence at the Article Level. PLOS Biology, 14(9), e1002541. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002541
  • Björk, B. C. (2017). Open access to scientific articles: a review of benefits and challenges. Internal and Emergency Medicine, 12(2), 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-017-1603-2
  • Yun, J. J., Liu, Z., Jeong, E., Kim, S., & Kim, K. (2022). The Difference in Open Innovation between Open Access and Closed Access, According to the Change of Collective Intelligence and Knowledge Amount. Sustainability, 14(5), 2574. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052574
  • Van Eck, N. J., & Waltman, L. (2017). Citation-based clustering of publications using CitNetExplorer and VOSviewer. Scientometrics, 111(2), 1053–1070. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-017-2300-7
  • Maseda, A., Iturralde, T., Cooper, S., & Aparicio, G. (2021). Mapping women’s involvement in family firms: A review based on bibliographic coupling analysis. International Journal of Management Reviews, 24(2), 279–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12278
  • Metaverse report—Future is here. (n.d.). Deloitte China. https://www2.deloitte.com/cn/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/metaverse-whitepaper.html
  • Value creation in the metaverse. (2022, June 14). McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/value-creation-in-the-metaverse
  • Zhang, X., Chen, Y., Hu, L., & Wang, Y. (2022). The metaverse in education: Definition, framework, features, potential applications, challenges, and future research topics. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016300
  • Anshari, M., Syafrudin, M., Fitriyani, N. L., & Razzaq, A. (2022). Ethical Responsibility and Sustainability (ERS) Development in a Metaverse Business Model. Sustainability, 14(23), 15805. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315805
  • Ko, H., Jeon, J., & Yoo, I. (2022). Metaverse platform-based flipped learning framework development and application. Jeongbo Gyoyug Haghoe Nonmunji, 26(2), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.14352/jkaie.2022.26.2.129
  • Stephenson, N. (2022). Snow Crash. Viking.
  • Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Baabdullah, A. M., Ribeiro-Navarrete, S., Giannakis, M., Al-Debei, M. M., Dennehy, D., Metri, B. A., Buhalis, D., Cheung, C. M. K., Conboy, K., Doyle, R., Dubey, R., Dutot, V., Felix, R., Goyal, D., Gustafsson, A., Hinsch, C., Jebabli, I., . . . Wamba, S. F. (2022). Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 66, 102542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102542