Identifying Research Gap in the Digitalization of Ethnobiology for Science Education: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Mapping
DOI:
10.29303/ijcse.v4i2.1591Published:
2026-05-26Downloads
Abstract
The Sasak, Samawa, and Mbojo (Sasambo) communities in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, possess rich biocultural knowledge that is closely related to ethnobiological studies. However, the rapid global development of ethnobiology research has not been accompanied by adequate digital approaches for organizing, disseminating, and utilizing ethnobiological knowledge in science education. This study aims to identify the research gap in ethnobiology digitalization for science education through bibliometric mapping and a systematic literature review (SLR). Bibliometric data were retrieved from the Dimensions AI database using the keyword ethnobiology in publication titles and abstracts, resulting in 1,094 documents published between 1937 and 2025. The data were analyzed using VOSviewer to map publication trends, term networks, and thematic structures in global ethnobiology research. The extraction process identified 3,187 terms, which were filtered to 148 based on occurrence thresholds and further refined to 82 representative terms. The SLR stage followed the PRISMA framework and synthesized 30 Scopus-indexed journal articles relevant to ethnobiology, digitalization, and science education. The findings indicate that ethnobiology research is still dominated by themes related to biodiversity, traditional knowledge, local communities, and health, while educational studies mainly emphasize pedagogical integration and digitalization studies focus on preservation and access. Their intersection in the form of digitally structured ethnobiology resources for science education remains underexplored. These results confirm a clear research gap and provide a conceptual basis for future initiatives, including the possible development of the Ethnobiology-SASAMBO Digital Portal.
Keywords:
Ethnobiology Digitalization Science Education Research Gap Systematic Literature Review Bibliometric MappingLicense
Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmad Aris Arifin, Agus Ramdani, A. Wahab Jufri, satutik rahayu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with International Journal of Contextual Science Education (IJCSE), agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY License). This license allows authors to use all articles, data sets, graphics, and appendices in data mining applications, search engines, web sites, blogs, and other platforms by providing an appropriate reference. The journal allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and will retain publishing rights without restrictions.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in International Journal of Contextual Science Education (IJCSE)
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
