Knowledge mapping of research on teachers' digital competence in China: a bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace

Professionals and researchers in various areas in China have been interested in teachers' digital competence (TDC) since the beginning of the twenty-first century, leading to many publications. Using the scientometric method, this research examines articles published between 2001 and 2022 on TDC in China to investigate the field's development. The literature is obtained from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and CiteSpace 6.1.R3 software is utilized to illustrate co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence network analysis. This study identifies the research frontiers, hotspots, and most recent topics on teachers' digital competence, which will assist in comprehending the general evolution and future research orientations in China. The major findings are: (i) between 2001 and 2022, the number of TDC publications in China demonstrated a rising trend. In addition, normal universities are the main contributors to publications in this field. Normal university in China is a kind of university that focuses on teacher training; most of its graduates will be teachers in the future. (ii) The most prolific writers in TDC included Zhang, C. G., Han, X. B., Chen, M., and Zhou, C. However, a stable relationship between productive authors has not yet been developed. There is a lack of coordination amongst productive institutions. (iii) The connotation of TDC, digital competence of different teacher groups, teaching competence, ways of increasing TDC (training), and the measurement model are research hotspots identified. AI and enhancement strategies research are the most recent research frontiers.