Global Evolution of Research in Artificial Intelligence in Schooling: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

The application of Artificial Intelligence in Schooling (AIS) has extensive attention from scholars in recent decades. This study is intended to provide a global and historical picture of research concerning Artificial Intelligence in schooling. The 10029 papers were retrieved from the Web of Science TM (WOSTM) that were issued between 1985 and 2018. The descriptive analysis considered the collaboration of the papers, and authors and journals and countries. A global network of authors’ keywords and content analysis of related scientific literature highlighted major techniques, including Virtual Reality (VR), Robotic, Artificial neural network, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP). The number of expert systems related articles was the highest, followed by Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), educational data mining, assessment and decision support systems. Moreover, there are few articles on evaluation of AI applications, which also hints at the direction of ai applications in the future. This study shows a comprehensive realistic picture of the research of Artificial Intelligence in schooling in the world, and suggests promoting a culture of data, and strengthening departmental/international cooperation, formulating relevant policies, so as to promote educational equity.