The Academic Landscape of Political Education Through Citizenship Education: A Bibliometric Analysis
Abstract
Political education through civics education plays a crucial role in shaping students with political knowledge, critical thinking skills, and readiness to participate in democratic life. However, the relationship between political education and civics education has not been systematically mapped in scientific studies. This study aims to map the scientific landscape, conceptual relationships, key reference documents, and thematic developments in political education research through civics education. The study used a quantitative approach with bibliometric methods on 133 Scopus-indexed journal articles published between 2006 and 2026. Data were analysed using R Studio (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer. The results show that political education, citizenship education, civic education, and political socialisation are the main concepts that are interconnected in the research structure. The literature also shows that civics education can function as a means of political education through the development of political knowledge, political participation, civic engagement, and critical thinking. Thematic mapping shows that citizenship education is the driving theme, whilst political socialisation, civic education, and political participation are the basic themes. The study concluded that Civic Education is a strategic space for political education, but its effectiveness depends on interactive, open, dialogical, and contextual learning.
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