Mapping Physical Education Research in Southeast Asia: A Bibliometric Analysis of Trends and Productivity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.07.09.02Keywords:
Physical Education, Quality education, Research Productivity, Southeast Asia, Thematic mappingAbstract
Physical education (PE) research in Southeast Asia has expanded rapidly, yet its regional distribution, leading contributors, and conceptual development have not been mapped in a single study. This bibliometric analysis examined 470 English-language Scopus-indexed publications issued from 1955 through 2024. Descriptive performance analysis and science-mapping procedures were conducted with Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to assess annual output, country and institutional productivity, authors, sources, collaboration patterns, keyword structure, and thematic change. Publication output accelerated after 2015 and peaked in 2022. Indonesia contributed 182 publications (38.7%), followed by Malaysia (73), Singapore (70), the Philippines (68), Vietnam (38), and Thailand (36); Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar contributed one publication each. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, and Singapore's National Institute of Education were the most productive affiliations. Joseph T. Lobo, Wang Chee Keng John, and Edi Setiawan were the leading authors, while the International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, Retos, and the Journal of Physical Education and Sport were the leading sources. Keyword mapping identified four connected areas: health and epidemiology, pedagogy and learning, psychosocial and demographic concerns, and exercise science and performance. The overlay map indicates a gradual movement from health-surveillance topics toward motivation, physical literacy, online learning, and pedagogical innovation. These results document a growing but uneven regional field and support stronger ASEAN collaboration, targeted capacity building, and broader database coverage in future assessments.
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Data Availability Statement
Data source were retrieved from Scopus.
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