Trends and patterns in realistic mathematics education research in elementary schools: A bibliometric approach

Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) is a promising approach to teaching mathematics, facilitating the understanding of mathematical concepts, and addressing various challenges students encounter in learning mathematics. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of published articles related to RME in elementary schools. The research utilizes the Scopus database, scanning for the keywords "Realistic Mathematics Education" and "Elementary School" from 1990 to 2024, yielding a total of 82 articles. The collected data were analyzed using R software and VOSviewer. Findings indicate that the research trend on RME in elementary schools has significantly increased since 2015. Indonesia has emerged as a key contributor and research hub for RME, followed by the United States, Belgium, and the Netherlands, based on the frequency of publications. In recent years, dominant topics in RME research at the elementary level have included design research methods, learning trajectories, learning models, learning systems, learning tools, blended learning, problem-based learning, model development, mathematical reasoning ability, mathematical problem-solving, and retrospective analysis. Future research on RME is encouraged to integrate emerging technologies to further enhance the effectiveness of mathematics teaching and learning.