Character Education in Curriculum and Pedagogy: Bibliometric Analysis (2000–2025)

Abstract

This study investigates global publication trends on character education within curriculum and pedagogy from 2000 to 2025 using a bibliometric methodology applied to 892 articles from the Dimensions database and analyzed through VOSviewer. The keyword co-occurrence analysis reveals that themes such as moral education, values formation, teacher preparation, and curriculum integration have remained central to scholarly discussions. However, overlay and density visualizations identify a significant paradigmatic transition from prescriptive moral instruction toward comprehensive pedagogical models emphasizing competency development and holistic growth. Critically, the most recent thematic shifts—particularly between 2023 and 2025—point to the growing prominence of local wisdom, positive discipline, mental well-being, digital citizenship, and culturally responsive pedagogy, signaling a research frontier that prioritizes contextualization, emotional resilience, and decolonization in character education. Scientific network mapping identifies influential authors and leading journals shaping the intellectual landscape. This study contributes valuable insights for scholars, educators, and policymakers while identifying promising future directions, including digital pedagogy, multicultural learning, and global citizenship education. Overall, the study offers a comprehensive examination of the intellectual development and structural evolution of character education research, providing an evidence-based foundation for curriculum design and pedagogical innovation in contemporary educational systems.