Page 61 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

Exploring Research Trends on Students With Disabilities in
Higher Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

P.D. Wijesekara
International Center for Multidisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Humanities and
Social Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura
wijesekarapiyoda@gmail.com

Abstract

Education is a fundamental right of all human beings all over the world in all conditions
and all ages. Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education is one of the challenging
goals of the world’s agenda for 2030. This study aims to portray the publication trends in
relation to students with disabilities (SWDs) in higher education (HE) using a bibliometric
analysis by taking academic publications as a key source. The Biblioshiny package in the
R software and VOS Viewer tools were used for the statistical computing and
visualization of data obtained through the Scopus database. A total of 760 documents
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(Date acquisition: 23 April 2023) from all languages were refined from 1993-2022 for
the analysis. The results depicted that the annual scientific production of literature was
growing in number and accelerated after 2007. The Journal of Disability and Society
proved to be the most significant source in the field. The authors with the highest level of
productivity originate from Spain. The themes were more diversified after 2004. Students
(111), human (73) and disability (57) were the most frequently used keywords. Keywords
are grouped into 7 dominant clusters. Scientific production in this area involved
contributions from 71 countries, with the most substantial contributions coming from the
USA (560), Spain (242), and the United Kingdom (166). There is ongoing research
potential in this field, indicating the need for a sustained long-term research agenda to
address evolving challenges and opportunities in the global context. There is ample room
for further development and exploration in this domain.

Keywords: Bibliometric Analysis, Biblioshiny, Higher Education, Students with
Disabilities, Sustainable Development Goals

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