Research on Mathematics Problem Solving in Elementary Education Conducted from 1969 to 2021: A Bibliometric Review

Abstract

This study focused on capturing the research landscape of past studies related to mathematics problem solving in elementary education from 1969 to 2021 through a bibliometric analysis. All the 159 bibliographic data involved were extracted from the Scopus database. The findings show an increasing trend in publication and citation over the years. The publications were distributed over six continents, namely North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. The United States emerged as the most productive country with the highest number of publications, g-index, and h-index. The foci of the research are (i) problem solving involving arithmetic and mathematical representations, (ii) mathematics teaching and learning based on word problems, (iii) cognition of pupils and affective domains in mathematics problem solving, and (iv) problem solving involving algebra and teachers' role in problem solving learning. The findings of this study serve as a guideline for researchers to understand the niche area and set forth pathways for future research.