Investigation of Trends in National and International Studies in Higher Education by Means of Big Data and Data Mining: 1965-2019

Abstract

Studies carried out in the field of higher education have taken on the mission of solving the problems of higher education institutions on a global level. This enables institutions to have different perspectives, to keep themselves up-to-date, and to approach problems in higher education with a visionary perspective. In this study, the national and international studies related to higher education between 1965 and 2019 that were included in the ERIC database were examined from a scientometric point of view. The results obtained were evaluated thematically. Analyzing the big data at the micro level in line with the research purpose revealed the trends in the studies conducted in the field of higher education from past to present. Considering these trends, the higher education studies in Turkey mostly focused on the concept of attitude, predominantly employed quantitative methods, and aimed at revealing the existing situation rather than being innovative. 371,771 studies/articles related to higher education in the ERIC database were examined by their type, subject, title, author, target group, and research location. The results obtained differed periodically in their international and national dimensions. The findings were discussed, and some suggestions, such as using different methods, focusing on policy-making rather than the current situation in higher education, and focusing on digitalization in higher education, were made for future studies.