Research Trend on Vocational Education Curriculum Using Bibliometric Analysis on VOSviewer

Abstract

The vocational education curriculum in Indonesia is required to remain dynamic and relevant to industrial developments, but comprehensive mapping of scientific publication trends in this field is still limited. This study aims to analyze development trends, conceptual focuses, and chronological shifts in research on the vocational education curriculum in Indonesia using bibliometric analysis. The research method used is a qualitative descriptive approach with a bibliometric approach to 468 scientific journal articles from the Google Scholar and ScienceDirect databases published between January 2022 and June 2026, collected using Publish or Perish (PoP) software, and analyzed through keyword co-occurrence analysis using the VOSviewer application. The results of the network visualization analysis indicate the presence of four main conceptual clusters: the macro dimensions of state and economic policies (green), aspects of student entrepreneurship psychology behavior and quantitative methods (red), the implementation of practical learning at the micro level in schools (yellow), and a qualitative review of the history of emergencies (blue). Furthermore, overlay and density visualizations reveal a shift in research focus from post-COVID-19 pandemic issues (2023) to strengthening school governance (early 2024) and ultimately leading to downstream impacts in the form of strengthening graduates' entrepreneurial intentions (late 2024 and beyond), with the main research saturation point being in the macro policy axis and general school learning practices. Based on these findings, it is recommended for future researchers to fill the research gap that is still rarely explored, particularly regarding the integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and adaptive entrepreneurship curriculum to increase the economic independence of vocational graduates.