Media Education and Critical Thinking Skills: A Bibliometric Mapping of Research Development (1996–2025)

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research at the intersection of media education and critical thinking from 1996 to 2025, utilizing a curated dataset of 2,376 peer-reviewed articles extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection. Following systematic filtering by document type (articles), language (English), and disciplinary relevance (education, media and communication, and social sciences), the analysis was conducted using the Bibliometrix R package and the Biblioshiny interface. Key indicators, including annual scientific production, citation trends, author productivity, source dynamics, institutional output, and international collaboration, reveal a steady increase in research activity, with a significant acceleration after 2015 and peaking in 2025. Conceptual structure mapping identified dominant themes including media literacy, digital literacy, misinformation, and critical thinking among youth, with keywords such as fake news, social media, and education emerging as high-frequency terms. Thematic evolution and coupling analysis showed a shift from foundational media literacy to more critical, digitally embedded pedagogical models. Despite the field’s growth, key gaps remain, particularly the underrepresentation of Global South regions, the limited number of intervention-based empirical studies, and a lack of integration between cognitive and pedagogical frameworks. Collaboration networks reveal a concentration of output among a few academic institutions and authors, primarily in the United States, Western Europe, and Australia. This study presents a comprehensive synthesis of the field’s development over three decades, offering actionable insights for researchers, policymakers, and educators seeking to align their future work with evolving global and technological contexts.