Mathematical Creativity in Mathematics Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Scopus-Indexed Publications (2000–2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65023/jherd.v10i2.299Abstract
Mathematical creativity has emerged as a pivotal construct in mathematics education, yet the rapid growth of related scholarship has resulted in a dispersed and conceptually layered research landscape. This study presents a bibliometric and science-mapping review of 504 Scopus-indexed documents published between 2000 and 2025, with the aim of systematically examining the intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and research trajectories of mathematical creativity in mathematics education. Using VOSviewer as the sole analytical tool, the study analyzes publication trends, document types, leading authors, institutions, countries, and sources, as well as co-authorship, citation, and keyword co-occurrence networks. The results reveal a pronounced increase in research output after 2013, with journal articles constituting the dominant publication format and social sciences and mathematics serving as the primary disciplinary anchors. Influential citation networks highlight a stable core of foundational scholars shaping theoretical and pedagogical discourse, while keyword co-occurrence mapping identifies interconnected thematic clusters centered on creative mathematical reasoning, problem solving, instructional practices, and emerging technology-mediated learning contexts. Notably, the field demonstrates a gradual shift from predominantly theoretical conceptualizations toward pedagogically grounded and application-oriented investigations. Taking a comprehensive, data-driven synthesis of 25 years of research, this study clarifies the knowledge structure of mathematical creativity scholarship and offers empirically grounded insights to inform future research directions, curriculum design, and instructional innovation in mathematics education.
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