Interdisciplinary knowledge diffusion of educational research, 2002–2021

Abstract

Since considered as an independent discipline, education has become more interdisciplinary by absorbing insights from various disciplines. However, there is a gap in understanding how educational knowledge diffuses to other academic fields. Our study seeks to bridge this gap with three specific objectives: 1) Mapping the landscape of literature in the interdisciplinary knowledge diffusion process, 2) Investigating the characteristics of how educational knowledge has diffused to non-educational disciplines, and 3) Examining the non-educational topics that have referenced educational studies. We further delve into secondary disciplines within education for a more in-depth and comprehensive analysis. To achieve these aims, we reviewed primary educational literature published between 2002 and 2021 along with how these sources were cited in non-educational publications. The analysis was structured in three phases accordingly, including descriptive analysis, calculation of interdisciplinary knowledge diffusion metrics, and AI-assisted keyword identification. Our findings point to a growing interdisciplinary influence of education on other fields, as evidenced by various indicators such as the volume, distribution, breadth, diversity, and intensity of knowledge diffusion. The significance of our study lies in its novel research focus, the integration of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and the extensive volume of publications covered.