Intellectual Landscape of Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Knowledge Bases, Fronts, and Global Collaboration (2016–2026)

Abstract

Although knowledge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) scholarship has experienced an impressive growth since the inception of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, an intellectual mapping of the area has been baffling to date. This study systematically analysed 3,655 TVET-related publications from 2016 to 2026, based on the Web of Science Core Collection. The co-citation analysis shows five knowledge clusters. The keywords co-occurrence analysis reveals four new fronts of research. The co-authorship analysis displays the networks of collaboration on the country and institutional level. Moreover, guided by Center-Periphery and Punctuated Equilibrium theories as diagnostic lenses, we find that TVET research agendas, methodological norms, and theories are largely influenced by an exclusive club of institutions in high income countries, and the external policy shocks, especially the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of artificial intelligence, have accelerated existing digital trends, but did not radically change the fundamental priorities in the research. The research presents a systematic mapping of the intellectual landscape of TVET in the Sustainable Development Goals era, clearly revealing the fragmentation of the current theoretical framework and highlighting the significant implications for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners engaged in the development of this field.