Volume 23, 2024

EMERGING RESEARCH ON VIRTUAL REALITY

APPLICATIONS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION:
A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
Mukhlidi Muskhir Universitas Negeri Padang, muskhir@[Link]
Padang, Indonesia
Afdal Luthfi Universitas Negeri Padang, afdalluthfi02@[Link]
Padang, Indonesia
Ronal Watrianthos* Universitas Negeri Padang, [Link]@[Link]
Padang, Indonesia
Usmeldi Universitas Negeri Padang, usmeldy@[Link]
Padang, Indonesia
Aprilla Fortuna Universitas Negeri Padang, aprillafortuna@[Link]
Padang, Indonesia
Agariadne Dwinggo Samala Universitas Negeri Padang, agariadne@[Link]
Padang, Indonesia
* Corresponding author

ABSTRACT
Aim/Purpose This study explores the subject structure, social networks, research trends, and
issues in the domain that have the potential to derive an overview of the devel-
opment of virtual reality-based learning media in vocational education.
Background Notwithstanding the increasingly growing interest in the application of virtual
reality in vocational learning, the existing research literature may still leave out
some issues necessary for a comprehensive understanding. This study will point
out such areas that need more exploration and a more comprehensive synthesis
of the literature by conducting a bibliometric analysis. It will be interesting to
keep track of the changing concepts and methodologies applied in the develop-
ment of VR-based learning media in vocational education research.
Methodology This review was carried out using bibliometric methodology, which can high-
light patterns of publication and research activity in this hitherto little-studied
Accepting Editor Donna Jean Satterlee │ Received: January 16, 2024 │ Revised: April 1, April 5, 2024 │
Accepted: April 30, 2024.
Cite as: Muskhir, M., Luthfi, A., Watrianthos, R., Usmeldi, Fortuna, A., & Samala, A. D. (2024). Emerging re-
search on virtual reality applications in vocational education: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Information Tech-
nology Education: Innovations in Practice, 23, Article 5. [Link]
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Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

area. The results of the study have the potential to lead to evidence-based prior-
ity in VR development, which will tailor work for vocational contexts and set
the compass against the growing worldwide interest in this area. The study pro-
vides a descriptive analysis of publications, citations, and keyword data for 100
documents published between the years 2013 and 2022 from the Scopus data-
base, which is conducted to illustrate the trends in the field.
Contribution This study also counts as a contribution to understanding the research hotspots
of VR-based learning media in vocational education. Through bibliometric anal-
ysis, this study thoroughly summarized the relevant research and literature lay-
ing a knowledge foundation for researchers and policy makers. Additionally,
this analysis identified knowledge gaps, recent trends, and directions for future
research.
Findings The bibliometric analysis revealed the following key findings:
1. A growing publication trajectory, with output increasing from 7 articles in
2013 to 25 articles in 2022.
2. The United States led the contributions, followed by China, and Germany.
3. The most prominent authors are affiliated with American medical institu-
tions.
4. Lecture proceedings include familiar sources that reflect this nascent do-
main.
5. Citation analysis identified highly influential work and researchers.
6. Keyword analysis exposed technology-oriented topics rather than learning-
oriented terms.
These findings present an emerging landscape with opportunities to address ge-
ographic and pedagogical research gaps.
Recommendations This study will be beneficial for designers and developers of VR-based learning
for Practitioners programs because it aligns with the most discussed and influential VR technolo-
gies within the literature. Such an alignment of an approach with relevant re-
search trends and focus can indeed be very useful for the effective application
and use of VR-based learning media for quality improvements in vocational stu-
dents' learning.
Recommendations In fact, in this bibliometric review of VR integration within vocational class-
for Researchers rooms, a future call for focused research is presented, especially on teaching
methods, course design, and learning impact. This is a framework that seeks to
establish its full potential with effective and integrated use of VR in the various
vocational curricula and settings of learners.
Impact on Society From the findings of the bibliometric analysis, it is evident that virtual reality
technologies (VR) have significantly led to transformation within educational
media. There is no denying that the growing interest and investment in the inte-
gration of virtual reality into vocational education has been well manifested in
the substantive increase in publications in the last decade. This shows what the
innovation driving factor is in the United States. At the same time the rapid
contributions from China signal worldwide recognition of the potential of VR
to improve technical skills training. This study points the way for more research
to bridge critical gaps, specifically how VR tools can be used in vocational high
school classrooms.

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 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

Furthermore, research should be aligned to meet specific needs of vocational

learners and even promote international cross-border partnerships, pointing out
the potential of virtual reality to be a universally beneficial tool in vocational ed-
ucation. The examination of highly cited articles provides evidence of the po-
tential of VR to be an impactful pedagogical tool in vocational education. The
findings suggest that researchers need to move forward looking at the trajectory
of VR in vocational education and how promising it is in defining the future for
innovative and effective learning methodologies.
Future Research This study is an exceptionally valuable contribution, a true landmark in the field
of dynamic development, and one that denotes very meaningful implications for
the future course of research in the dynamically developing field of bibliometric
analysis of VR-based learning media for vocational education. The increase in
the number of publications emanates from growing interests in the application
of virtual reality (VR) technologies in vocational education. The high concentra-
tion of authorship from the USA, along with the ever-increasing contributions
from China, spotlights the increasing worldwide recognition of the impact of
immersive technologies in the enhancement of training in technical skills. These
are emerging trends that call for research to exemplify the diverse views and
global teamwork opportunities presented by VR technologies.
The study also highlights critical areas that need focused attention in future re-
search endeavors. The fact that the embedding of VR tools into classrooms in
vocational high schools has been poorly researched points to the major gap in
pedagogical research within authentic educational settings. Therefore, further
investigations should evaluate teaching methods in VR, lesson designs, and the
impacts of VR in specific vocational trades. This supports the need for learner-
centered frameworks that are tailor-made to the needs of vocational learners.
This calls for more direct and focused investigations into identified research
gaps noting a growing dominance in the field of health-related research with the
most cited articles in this field, to integrate virtual reality into additional voca-
tional education contexts. In this way, the gaps present an opportunity for re-
searchers to make significant contributions to the development of interventions
responsive to the unique needs of vocational learners; this will contribute to
strengthening the evidence base for the worldwide implementation of VR
within vocational education systems. This was recommended as the intention of
such a bibliometric analysis: supporting the potential of VR as a pedagogical
tool in vocational contexts and providing grounding for a strong and focused
future research agenda within this burgeoning area of educational technology.
Keywords virtual reality, bibliometric, vocational education

INTRODUCTION
Virtual reality (VR) has been identified as one of the disruptive technologies in vocational education
with the potential for a revolution through immersive and interactive learning experiences (Neupane
et al., 2023; Prasetya, Fajri, et al., 2023; Prasetya, Syahri, et al., 2023). The use of VR headsets, con-
trollers, and specialized software make it possible for learners to be taken to more realistic virtual
worlds that simulate reality (Junfithrana et al., 2020; Shermon & Stout, 2018; Wonsick & Padir, 2020).
The usability and importance of VR are seen in many sectors, such as manufacturing, healthcare, en-
tertainment, and education (Alamäki et al., 2021; Kemp et al., 2022; See et al., 2023).

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Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

In vocational education, VR is particularly promising if it is used to design appealing and authentic

learning environments so that the theoretical environment gets very close to real practice (Di Natale
et al., 2020; Liaw et al., 2023; Samala, Dewi, & Mursyida, 2023). As such, VR, being highly immersive,
allows learners to apply skills and knowledge in an environment that is not only secure, but one in
which accidents and mistakes that might happen in real-world environment-based training are less
likely to occur (Kozinets, 2023). Furthermore, the VR method improves the engagement of learners,
the development of critical thinking, and the ability to visualize content and mastery of the content,
which finally results in improved learning (Zhang et al., 2020).
Experiential learning provided by VR is particularly well suited to vocational education where hands-
on training and practical experience are essential to developing job-ready skills (Fromm et al., 2021;
Le et al., 2022; Wulansari & Nabawi, 2021). VR exposes learners to lifelike vocational contexts and
experiences in which they practice and polish their competences as if in real-life conditions. Conse-
quently, VR can lead to building confidence, competence, and, consequently, employability for the
student within the vocational training program. Given the need for more skilled labor in many indus-
tries and the necessity of keeping abreast of emerging technologies, innovative approaches to voca-
tional education are needed.
The challenges facing VR integration include offering an opportunity to provide flexible, cost-effec-
tive, and scalable solutions to deliver high-quality vocational training. This study provides valuable
conclusions and recommendations for practitioners and researchers regarding the current state of re-
search on VR applications in vocational education. These findings have important implications for
vocational education in the 21st century.
In many countries, vocational education is fundamental to the provision of technical skills and practi-
cal training relevant to many trades, occupations, and industries (Gonon & Deissinger, 2021; Odo,
2023; Watrianthos, Ambiyar, et al., 2022). Vocational education prepares students for direct entry
into the workforce when they leave school emphasizing hands-on learning in the classroom (Muskhir
et al., 2023; Sansi et al., 2023). Critical trends in vocational education involve collaborative paradigms
between schools and employers, the application of new technologies in virtual and augmented reality
(Fortuna et al., 2023), and stackable certification (Chan et al., 2022; Ramadhan et al., 2021; Trust et
al., 2021).
However, there are several challenges facing vocational education including public prejudice, compli-
cated funding structure, and ensuring curricula to reflect industry trends (Thurzo et al., 2023). Expe-
riential learning remains very important in vocational settings. In this line of thought, the use of sim-
ulations of on-the-job experiences has been developed for the purpose of allowing students to apply
skills in real world type settings. Quality vocational education fosters a pipeline of qualified labor
considering the shortage of skilled trades (Haviland & Robbins, 2021).
Above all, aligning vocational training with every-evolving industry needs while creating foundational
skills for the future remains a recurring challenge. This complex vocational landscape provides a criti-
cal context within which to consider the potential of emerging technologies such as virtual reality.
The possibility of developing occupational simulators could prove to be transformational in deliver-
ing cutting-edge vocational education at scale (Jiawei & Mokmin, 2023). This will require considera-
ble personalized research, development, and investment. Therefore, it is necessary to lay the basis for
the research of VR applications in this domain by elaborating on the importance attached to voca-
tional education and the opportunities and challenges that come with it.
In the past few years, there has been exponential growth in the latest information and communica-
tion technologies that have fueled growing research interests in virtual reality (VR) across numerous
domains. This study examines titles and abstracts together with keywords in publication trends based
on VR research data from the Scopus database for the period 2018-2022. From the graph presented
below, it is apparent that the focus on VR as a research source has increased, most notably from
2018 to 2022. The five-year period showed a total of 56,402 articles, representing an increase of 3963

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 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

articles from 2018 to 2022. This exemplifies huge growth in VR research production, which tends to
suggest growing attention from academicians, as VR has been one of the most researched topics
among modern-day researchers.

Other, Computer Science;

18.90% 29.70%
16000 Materials Sciences,
13513 2.50%
14000
11889
12000 11240 Decision Science,
10210 2.60%
9550
10000
Physics & Astronomy;
Article

8000
3.80%
6000 Social Sciences,
6.60%
4000
Mathematics,… Medicine,
2000 Engineerin…
8.70%
0 Computer Science Engineering
Year Medicine Mathematics
Social Sciences Physics & Astronomy
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Decision Science Materials Sciences
Other
Figure 1. The graph illustrates the upward trend in the number of publications related to vir-
tual reality within the Scopus database from 2018 to 2022
Research productivity on virtual reality (VR) from 2018 to 2022 has increased substantially. In sum-
mary, these factors - technical maturation, pandemic-prompted demand, cheaper costs, and ex-
panded funding - have contributed to the marked growth in VR research since 2018 (Samala, Us-
meldi, Taali, Daineko, et al., 2023; Won et al., 2023). This trend is expected to continue as VR tech-
nology consolidates its status in the market and reaches indispensability in a number of sectors, such
as education and healthcare (Won et al., 2023; Xi et al., 2023). Figure 1 shows the distribution of the
scope of research fields that investigate VR applications. Most, 29.7%, fall into the field of computer
science, followed by engineering at 19.4%, and medicine. It is a growing trend that the potential of
virtual reality is being capitalized as a pedagogical approach and medium for practical learning con-
texts (Hadgraft & Kolmos, 2020; Hamilton et al., 2021).
Virtual reality (VR) confers distinct advantages and opportunities when implemented within voca-
tional education contexts compared to traditional general education settings (Steffen et al., 2019;
Zhang et al., 2020). The main objectives of vocational education are the provision of practical,
hands-on competencies and applied skills targeted at specific trades and occupations (Jalinus et al.,
2023). In turn, the highly emerging and particularly highly experienced characteristic of virtual reality
befits the development of engaging simulations in real and vivid vocational environments and activi-
ties. This speaks to the reality and significance of the occupational learning experiences that students
could be offered by VR in ways that are impossible, dangerous, or logistically infeasible within a
classroom setting (Yuan et al., 2023). Such a line of research in the use of VR integration in voca-
tional education is very compelling.
The objective of this study is to continue the bibliometric review in a comprehensive way of the ap-
plication of VR technology in vocational education contexts to identify the main trends and themes
of the emerging literature in this context. Therefore, the following are the research questions for this
bibliometric review:
1. What are the research trends on virtual reality applied in vocational education in the last 10
years?
2. Who are the top 10 authors, journals, and publishers of the top 100 cited articles on virtual
reality in vocational education?

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Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

3. What are the implications and recommendations for the use of virtual reality in vocational
education from 2013 to 2022?
The main objective of the study involves the identification and visualization of published research in
the context of the application of VR in vocational education. This will be done using the bibliometric
analysis method intended to explore publishing trends and theme visualizations within the virtual re-
ality application in the vocational education domain. Bibliometric analysis is part of a statistical meth-
odology that searches for patterns in the published literature (Gatto et al., 2022; Lyu et al., 2023).
Bibliometrics is of the utmost critical sense in laying the quantitative foundation for the most impact-
ful publications and contributions in each field (Donthu et al., 2021; Tarragona et al., 2020). Within
the publication data set, bibliometric analysis employs a framework of holistic knowledge through
synthesis techniques from the natural sciences, mathematics, and statistics. Bibliometric research ena-
bles qualitative and quantitative in-depth investigation of publication and citation trends within a
scope bound to a chosen theme (Cardoso et al., 2020).
Bibliometric studies indicate the use of qualitative and quantitative indexes in the analysis of phe-
nomena related to volumes of publications, author affiliations, journal titles, languages in which pa-
pers are published, networks on collaboration, types of documents, issuing countries, and subject cat-
egorization (Watrianthos, Ambiyar et al., 2022; Watrianthos, Sagala, et al., 2022). In the last decade,
bibliometrics has been used to map research trends and influential contributions within different sci-
entific domains (Ahmad et al., 2023; Watrianthos, Ambiyar, et al., 2022).
For example, the research that Abdullah (2021) did in higher vocational education, reviewed scholarly
research conducted over time. In this paper, the most pertinent topic or keyword is given with re-
spect to higher vocational education. In this bibliometric review, the review presents a summary of
research in higher education that could be useful to practitioners and researchers in higher education
who may wish to draw on or breathe new life into the knowledge source. This is an example of the
accepted value that bibliometric techniques carry, making it possible, for instance, to base the pro-
duction of maps on research data with a view to subdomain issues like educational technology or vo-
cational education. Developing a tailor-made bibliometric methodology applied to drill into the spe-
cialized niche area of VR applications in vocational education could make it possible for the first time
to obtain a rigorous, quantitative elucidation of patterns within this vitally important but underex-
plored emerging literature.
This bibliometric analysis aims to characterize the leading trends, contributors, affiliations, outlets,
research lines, terminology, and seminal sources of the available literature (Samala, Bojic, et al., 2023;
Watrianthos et al., 2023). To be specific, this study will attempt to identify the most prolific authors
and reveal the institutional and geographic locations of pioneering researchers. Additionally, it will
identify key publication venues to be used for the dissemination of the main findings, chart the tem-
poral evolution of the publications, point out prevalent concepts and keywords, and find citations to
critically evaluate the research lacunae ripe for future investigation. In line with this, the objective of
the paper is to offer a holistic overview of the prevailing research activities with respect to VR in vo-
cational education by synthesizing this dimension. This systematic review aims to outline the direc-
tion to take in establishing promising scholarship in this emerging research area.

METHODOLOGY
Bibliometrics has already provided a statistical approach to analysis of data that shows how
knowledge has been changing, measures the impact of research, illustrates subtle trends in academic
fields, and finds research themes. It provides a systematic overview of the information described in
publications in a statistical way that supports the analysis of tendencies and themes of a given area of
research (Watrianthos et al., 2023) (Samala, Usmeldi, Taali, Ambiyar et al., 2023). Such techniques
provide systematic insights by describing statistical information in publications, allowing the exami-
nation of trends and themes in each area of research (Adeabah et al., 2023). There are four stages of

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 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

research in bibliometric analysis (Samala, Usmeldi, Taali, Daineko, et al., 2023), which are illustrated
in Figure 2.
Figure 2 describes the four stages involved in the bibliometric analysis method. The first step is to
identify the topic that will be analyzed within the Scopus database. The reason for using Scopus in
this analysis is that it has many advantages, such as its scope of features and extensive coverage. This
was, to a much greater extent, influenced by the completeness and richness of the available infor-
mation, its overall most widely recognized reputation, a strong citation network, and, most im-
portantly, its ability to provide detailed and rolling analysis (Gusenbauer, 2022; Pölönen et al., 2020).
The high quality and credibility of Scopus places it as a reliable reference source on 29 June 2023,
through applying focused search parameters. The search was filtered for title of article, abstract, and
keywords, restricted to the date of publication from 2013 to 2022, and limited to the English lan-
guage in a journal or conference proceeding.

Figure 2. Stages of the bibliometric analysis method

This systematic screening process through all filters resulted in an initial corpus of 100 relevant docu-
ments across the Scopus database, centered on virtual reality in vocational education, spanning the
years 2013–2022. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, considerations for the final sample in-
cluded 100 articles, forming the bibliometric data set analyzed in this study. All papers were in Eng-
lish, published in a reviewed academic journal or proceedings, and embraced the words "virtual real-
ity" in their titles with "vocational" or "tvet" in the title, abstract, or keyword. This corpus is the final
sample enabling quantitative mapping of the emerging research domain, which includes the ones
likely to apply some form of the term "virtual reality" in conjunction with "vocational education."
To answer the third research question related to the implications and recommendations concerning
the use of virtual reality in vocational education during 2013-2022, our bibliometric approach is very
close to the stated objectives of this inquiry. First, the analysis is conducted through keyword co-oc-
currence to reveal main topics and themes reflected in the literature related to the use of virtual real-
ity in vocational education. The salient features of the study were established, and recurrent ideas
would not be repeated but discovered again in the text by frequency and co-occurrence of keywords
like "virtual reality," "vocational education," "training."
Second, to find such a document, this research applied the analysis of the citation network of articles
to identify the most influential and highly cited articles. By visualizing the citing relationships among
the papers, the present pioneering work that has given shape to the research landscape, together with
the key authors and institutions who are driving development in this field, can be clearly identified.
The geographic distribution mapped research activity and patterns of collaboration throughout the
world.

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Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

We do this using the institutional affiliations of the authors, institutional affiliations, and geographic
distributions of the publications to outline leading countries, leading institutions, and where there
might be gaps or opportunities for international collaboration. Merging these symbiotic bibliometric
approaches made it possible to get a fuller and more sophisticated picture of the research landscape
than would have been possible simply by following leads emanating from any one of these ap-
proaches.
The third and final stage of this bibliometric software is the phase in which visuals and mapping of
the publication data set are carried out (Ahmad et al., 2023). VOSviewer is software that helps in gen-
erating visualized maps developed through network analysis, in which relationship overlays among
the entities that co-occurred (authors, publications, keywords, or subject categories) are applied in
visual form (van Eck & Waltman, 2017). The visualization of these relations through distance-based
graphs identifies patterns and tendencies within academic literature that might not otherwise emerge
through mere quantitative measurement. Specifically, the visualization of links using VOSviewer is
much clearer. It shows the existing relationships among the leading authors, publications, countries,
and keywords in the literature based on virtual reality in vocational education. In addition, it gener-
ates a heat map showing the geographical distribution of the publications in terms of country.

RESULTS
The aim of this bibliometric analysis was to reveal the emerging domain within the research scope of
virtual reality applications in vocational education, showcasing insightful patterns of citing and pub-
lishing. Of particular interest is the clear and steep rise in volumes of publication over the past dec-
ade, with the most prolific authorship largely attributed to authors affiliated with institutions in the
United States.
The most influential publications, in terms of citation counts, would be those coming from high-im-
pact journals, that is, the British Journal of Educational Technology. Lecture proceedings are the
usual channel utilized to disseminate findings made in this particular specialized niche. The United
States leads in productivity, followed by China and Germany. Keyword analysis showed that the
dominance was in the conceptual orientations of technology and virtual reality, with gaps around the
terminologies of learning. These key milestone publications, citations, and keyword trends are identi-
fied and mapped in the relevant sections of this manuscript.
R ESEARCH T RENDS
The line graph in Figure 3, on the trend of publication year-over-year of publications on VR applica-
tions in vocational education from 2013 through 2022, shows that in the years after, there is an indi-
cation of the steadiness of the publication number and after 2019, it has been quite significant. This
tendency, one may say, reflects the rise of interest and research activity in this field, especially during
the last years, when VR technologies have advanced with easier access.
Publication output increased steadily from 2013 to 2022, with the highest number, 25, reported in
2022. This, in turn, indicates an increasing scholarly interest in the exploration of virtual reality appli-
cations within vocational educational environments. Some implications can be deduced from this up-
ward output trend. One is the increasing level of interest in the promising potentials of virtual reality
for the transformation of vocational training during the transition of the 21st-century technical work-
force development. First, we have sustained productivity growth. More importantly, imperatively,
further research must be carried out at a faster rate to cope with the technological and pedagogical
innovations and developments needed for the successful implementation of virtual reality in experi-
ential vocational learning on a large scale.

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 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

Document 2013 5
2014 7
30
2015 7
25 25
2016 8
Total Document

20 2017 5
15 16 16 2018 3
10 2019 8
7 7 8 8
2020 16
5 5
3 2021 16
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2022 25

Figure 3. The trend of publication of virtual reality in vocational education over the past ten
years
T OP AUTHORS, J OURNALS, AND ARTICLES
The authorship analysis, which considered the number of publications and citations per author, re-
vealed that, when applying a threshold of a minimum of five citations per document, 11 authors
emerged as the most prolific. Most of these authors have published more than four articles each on
virtual reality applications in vocational education. The three authors with the greatest number of
publications and citations in virtual reality are Smith, M.J., Bell, M. D., and Fleming, M. F. Table 1
presents the names, institutional affiliation, country, documents, and citations of the most prolific au-
thors by volume of articles and citations.
Notably, the institutional affiliations of the top contributors include research universities and medical
institutions in the United States. Such an affiliation pattern may suggest that American academia has
served as an early leader in the investigation of virtual reality for vocational contexts.
Table 1. Top authors based on the number of documents
Rank Authors Institutional Country Documents Citations
Smith, M. J. Northwestern University
1 USA 14 495
Feinberg School of Medicine
Yale University School of United
2 Bell, M. D 11 476
Medicine States
3 Fleming, M. F Medicine, New York, USA USA 9 495
Northwestern University
4 Wright, M. A USA 8 447
Feinberg
School of Medicine, Univer-
5 Olsen D sity of Michigan, Chicago, IL USA 8 264
Simmersion LLC, US

However, there is a gap in which direct authorship from vocational education institutions is lacking.
In the latest development, an improved vocational school and program research leader could catalyze
improved pedagogical innovation and adoption. This sets the stage for expanded collaboration be-

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Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

tween leading authors and computer science, engineering, and technical training programs at the in-
tersection of vocational education. The diversification of authorship and affiliations promises to en-
rich research insights in the implementation of virtual reality for experiential vocational learning.
Table 2. Top source based on the number of documents
Rank Sources Documents Citations
Lecture notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences,
1 7 5
Social-Informatics and Telecommunication
2 Journal of Physics: Conference Series 5 40
3 Applied mechanics and materials 3 3
4 British journal of educational technology 3 9
5 Lecture notes in computer science 3 9

With this number of citations and publication frequency, the minimum threshold must be set at 3 ci-
tations per document. Five sources emerge as particularly prolific, each garnering more than two
publications. The three periodicals with the highest publication and citation counts related to the ap-
plication of virtual reality are from the Institute for Computer Sciences; Social Informatics and Tele-
communications Lecture Notes; Journal of Physics: Conference Series; and Applied Mechanics and
Materials. The sources have been captured according to rank, the name of the source and the docu-
ments in Table 2, five of which are shown following the number of documents published and the ci-
tations received. It brings to light the lecture proceedings, where computer science and engineering
conferences are the most dominant sources of dissemination of studies on virtual reality in vocational
education. The conference papers include the latest findings that feature these emerging domain
characteristics.
However, the relative paucity of representation from sources focused on vocational, technical train-
ing, and education-focused journal sources seems to illustrate a possible gap in related disciplines that
would have the most bearing on the integration of virtual reality for experiential learning. The change
in the field will further enable an increase in the production of academic work in vocational educa-
tion outlets, leading to greater pedagogical strength and providing a means of translating technologi-
cal innovation into research-based instructional practices. It is understood from the sources that the
outward diffusion of this information to cross-disciplinary audiences could act as a pushing factor to
speed up the process of its broader use. The power through the development of more vocation-spe-
cific journals would further make the educational communities in these field areas more cohesive.
Table 3 presents the top 10 articles with the highest citations, reflecting rank, authorship, title, publi-
cation year, and total citations accrued from the journal of publication. This strongly suggests that
customizable VR experiences have great potential to develop scaffolded learning opportunities for
diverse vocational students. Table 3 highlights baseline studies that have quantified, to date, the nota-
ble research impact of applications of virtual reality in vocational education through citation metrics.
The most quoted article, by Smith, Ginger, Wright, Wright, Taylor, et al. (2014) underlines the effi-
cacy of using virtual reality to impart to youth on the autism spectrum the skills of interviewing. This
raises the potential for scaffolded learning environments that respond to the needs of diverse voca-
tional students with customized virtual reality experiences.

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 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

Table 3. Top 10 cited articles

Cita-
Rank Authors DOI Journal & Publisher
tions
(Smith, Ginger, Wright, Journal of Autism and
1 Wright, Taylor et al., 10.1007/s10803-014-2113-y Developmental Disor- 222
2014) ders (Springer Link)
Journal of Autism and
(Smith, Fleming, Wright,
2 10.1007/s10803-015-2470-1 Developmental Disor- 88
Losh, et al., 2015)
ders (Springer Link)
Schizophrenia Research
3 (Tsang & Man, 2013) 10.1016/[Link].2012.12.024 67
(ScienceDirect)
(Smith, Fleming, Wright, Schizophrenia Research
4 10.1016/[Link].2015.05.022 61
Roberts, et al., 2015) (ScienceDirect)
Physiotherapy Theory
5 (Levac & Miller, 2013) 10.3109/09593985.2012.762078 and Practice (Taylor & 50
Francis Online)
Nurse Education Today
6 (Bracq et al., 2019) 10.1016/[Link].2019.05.026 48
(ScienceDirect)
Journal of Clinical Neu-
7 (Alashram et al., 2019) 10.1016/[Link].2019.04.026 roscience (ScienceDi- 45
rect)
Brain Injury (Taylor &
8 (Man et al., 2013) 10.3109/02699052.2013.794969 44
Francis Online)
(Smith, Ginger, Wright,
The Journal of Nervous
9 Wright, Boteler Humm, 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000187 39
and Mental Disease
et al., 2014)
Computers & Education
10 (Pedram et al., 2020) 10.1016/[Link].2020.103891 37
(ScienceDirect)

The salient fact, that authors such as Smith, Bell, and Fleming are all extremely prominent in these
heavily cited studies, certainly speaks to the powerful contributions that these authors have made to
pioneering scholarship in this nascent domain. The most impactful articles come primarily from pres-
tigious educational, vocational, and technical training-focused journals, highlighting the widespread
highlights of rigor and interest in multidisciplinary research. Furthermore, the fact that most articles
have been published in the last five years shows a rapid emergence of high-impact research on the
use of virtual reality embedded in vocational contexts.
L EADING C OUNTRIES
This paper aims to make an analysis of country-specific metadata in volume of publication and cita-
tion count, respectively, and finds that applying a threshold of at least five citations per document, it
finds that seven countries come into the highly productive category, with the production standing at
more than four documents each. The three leading countries in the publication and citation of the
application of virtual reality in vocational education are as follows: United States with 23 documents
and 655 citations; China with 20 documents and 72 citations; and Germany with 8 documents and
105 citations.

11
Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

Figure 4 clearly shows how the United States has claimed a large share of the research output in the
adoption of virtual reality in vocational education. This only further highlights that American aca-
demia and industry have been at the forefront and have led in almost all technological innovations
and implementations that their students and workforces can imagine, including those related to vir-
tual reality for experiential technical training. A close second, therefore equally prominent, goes to
China among the most published countries, reflecting its rapidly growing expertise in virtual reality
technologies.

23

20

6 Rank Countries Citations

1 United States 655
2 China 72
3 Germany 105
4 Indonesia 2
5 Australia 49

Figure 4. Top countries based on the number of documents

Perhaps one most striking omission on this list is the lack of any European nations that, for so long,
have had very strong systems in vocational education. Collaborations further stimulate American
technical scholars with European vocational educators in virtual reality research, which will lead to
faster growth in turning innovations into impactful practice. It has also pointed out the outstanding
underrepresentation of the developing world, indicating even chances of expanding in this region re-
lating to access to state-of-the-art virtual reality vocational training through appropriate strategic re-
search partnerships. Correspondingly, the growing interest in virtual reality from all over the world
can only further increase the cross-cultural perspective made possible by the many nationalities in-
volved in its development.
KEYWORD ANALYSIS
Keyword analysis, in short, is one of the approaches used in the bibliometric process, which helps
clarify the core terminology of the academic literature, where frequency appears within keywords or
terms in some publications and is instrumental in finding research tendencies or subjects (Kim et al.,
2021; Wang & Chai, 2018). Therefore, the comparison is made especially between the occurrences of
the keywords to know the terms that emerge more prominently. Keyword analysis provides very crit-
ical information on focal topics and knowledge that are not covered in a given domain of research.
The authors used VOSviewer software to graphically depict the interconnection of the keywords ap-
pearing together within a publication (van Eck & Waltman, 2010). The co-occurrence, therefore,
does show the occurrence of the placed keywords together within the document.
It is on this view that the threshold in the complete count analysis has been operationalized at a mini-
mum of five documents per keyword. Of the total of 2,552 keywords extracted from the 100 articles,

12
 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

38 of them exceeded the minimum frequency threshold of 10 documents. The irrelevant keywords
were re-evaluated and refined to 20 relevant interrelated ones that meet the research objectives. Fig-
ure 5 provides the visualization network map of co-occurrence keywords within the analyzed publica-
tions. The map pointed out two principal areas of focus: one area was around the evaluation of VR
for specific vocational skills training (e.g., "autism spectrum disorder," "intervention," "training"), and
the other was around its application to a broader thematic of VR in vocational education (e.g., "edu-
cation," "learning," "teaching"). This visual summary details the main areas of research and how they
are interrelated, highlighting key areas of focus and potential literature gaps.

Figure 5. Network visualization of co-occurrence of author keywords

In Figure 5, the much smaller red cluster contains the search terms oriented around virtual reality in-
tegration for general teaching and learning in comparison to all others. These include "education,"
"learning," "teacher," and "vocational education." What these represent is greater emphasis and focus
on how to better adapt virtual reality toward bettering the pedagogical methods and outcomes of the
learner in this area of the vocational classroom. The presence of these dual thematic clusters might
open up further interdisciplinary research that synthesizes the strengths of both foci. This would in-
tegrate the gap between skill training evaluations situated in virtual reality and generalizable pedagogi-
cal frame-works, thus affording greater purchase on the subject, taking into account angles in a holis-
tically evolving model of optimal integration of virtual reality within vocational education.
A check of the overlay visualization in Figure 6 indicates that the most recent keywords from 2018-
2020 are overlaid in yellow with the base underpinning keyword, of 'virtual reality'. Similarly, check-
ing is done, on the basis of clustering, for key 'vocational education,' 'teaching,' and 'learning' to qual-
ify that, indeed, the topics fall under the emerging themes, directions, and gaps of the literature
scope. Although the most recent literature has focused on technology in "virtual reality" and skills
assessment and training, newer research has included topics such as the use of "virtual reality" and
the potential effects on vocational pedagogy and curriculum. That is to say, it already forms a very
promising trend when many educators are engaged in this particular area of study. However, the rare
publications at the intersection of virtual reality teaching and learning methods point to an area for
further research.

13
Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

Figure 6. Visualization of overlays against co-occurrence of author keywords

The domination of "virtual reality" in these words means and, hence, reflects a targeting of this tech-
nology. Virtual reality tools are certainly important, but their linking to the needed vocational learning
contexts must be ensured. "Study" appears as the keyword for high concentration, possibly suggest-
ing concentration in studies and experiments aiming to assess the effectiveness of virtual reality. The
relative paucity of learning-oriented keywords, such as "teaching," "learning," "pedagogy," or even
"curriculum," goes some way to perhaps indicating just how much scope there is for future research
from the perspective of the vocational educator. Therefore, it is critical that this gap is filled for tech-
nology, pedagogy, and practice. This visualizes work that would extend this investigation of the
method of virtual reality teaching and associated learning outcomes, particularly work tailored to the
needs of vocational students. It will be based on building a strong knowledge base around the inte-
gration of pedagogical and curricular activities for extended adoption.

Virtual Reality 61
Study 50
Technology 43
Training 43
Keyword

Skill 36
Student 25
Virtual Reality Technology 24
Application 23
Vocational Education 22
Education 22

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Occurences

Figure 7. Most keywords published in the article

Figure 7 illustrates the most frequently occurring keywords in the analyzed articles, further highlight-
ing the emphasis on virtual reality, skills, and training, while also indicating the need for more re-
search on education and vocational education specifically.

14
 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

In addition, virtual reality research has not been able to directly involve any of the learning variables
that are specifically located in the context of vocational high schools. Therefore, this would stimulate
scholars, practitioners, and researchers in this area to further investigate the adoption of virtual reality
in vocational learning environments and the associated pedagogies. More studies that integrate virtual
reality technologies with the unique needs and priority characteristics of vocational secondary school
curricula would go a long way in inform innovative translation into impactful practice tailored for vo-
cational learners.

DISCUSSION
This study uses a bibliometric analysis of the recent emerging corpus of research studies related to
the applications of virtual reality technologies in vocational education settings. Scopus has been used
for the last decade to scrutinize trends in publication and citation that will bring to light the patterns
of development in this new area of inquiry. This context was guided by the aim of obtaining critical
insights that will outline gaps and inform future research based on research growth, influential contri-
butions, regional perspectives, and conceptual focus. Bibliometric findings reveal the following key
trends: a steep publication increase, a concentration of authorship largely from US-based institutions,
the importance of lecture proceedings as the most favored venues for their publications, and the fre-
quency with which they mention virtual reality tools and vocational pedagogy in their keywords. Syn-
thesizing these quantitative metrics with visualization provides an evidence-based view of how to
adapt VR approaches in vocational education settings.
The analysis revealed 100 articles published on the confluence of virtual reality and vocational educa-
tion in the last decade in Scopus-indexed journals and conference proceedings. The year 2022, with
25 publications, witnessed the highest number of articles for the 10 years under consideration. A
marked growth was observed only for eight publications between 2019 and 2020, a coincidence in
the wake of rapid technological development that expanded the capabilities of virtual reality and re-
lated applications. In its place, research has been substantial in the development of new virtual reality
technologies. One of the motivating factors for independent research is the growing pace of techno-
logical innovation. These include the integration of virtual reality, which greatly heightens the quality
of education and offers further pedagogical benefits such as an increase in students' engagement and
enhancement in academic results. A further concentration analysis of authorship shows that 3.4% of
the contributors had published more than four articles, which attests to the ability of emerging schol-
ars to expand further into this area within their own research.
The firm's bibliographic findings on productivity and impact give a clear direction to geographic
trends, which could serve to further the global adoption of virtual reality in vocational education
(Chawla & Goyal, 2022; Maphosa & Maphosa, 2023). The United States has a leading record in pub-
lication volume and citation tally, furthering the country's status with respect to leadership in technol-
ogy innovation that could catalyze the integration of virtual reality in vocational institutions within
America. However, a growing contribution from China testifies to the fact that virtual reality applica-
tions in vocational education are beginning to be accepted worldwide, as even international research-
ers point to the potential of immersive technology in improving technical skills training (Xie et al.,
2021). The number of publications on this topic is much fewer, yet the great influence of Germany
coincides with a historically strong tradition of generally reliable vocational education.
Such a country-based research pattern highlights existing strengths of the present but also represents
a great opportunity to diversify views and enhance deep global collaboration. With growing global
interest in adopting virtual reality technologies for learning, forging partnership links between re-
searchers and vocational institutions across borders supports the advancement of context-specific
virtual reality-enhanced vocational pedagogies. This would mean that international advances and pro-
gress in terms of the implementation of virtual reality for vocational training will be driven by fo-

15
Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

cused cross-country research collaborations. A bibliometric analysis thus made it clear that virtual re-
ality technologies have a direct and clear interlinkage to vocational educational technologies, which
clearly points to research opportunities for more detail studies analyzing the integration of virtual re-
ality in vocational learning environment contexts. Therefore, several important research gaps remain
to be identified, providing the basis for the focus of research following this study.
First and foremost, the under examination of the fact that the use of virtual reality tools remains rela-
tively poorly considered within real classroom settings at vocational high schools in general has been
underexamined in the literature overall and specifically with regard to pedagogical research taking
place within actual educational environments. Prospective research should be able to look in-depth at
virtual reality teaching methods, lesson designs, and associated learning impacts across specific voca-
tional trades in schools. Therefore, the findings of current research can guide the effective translation
into instructional practice. Second, most current literature generally defines the capabilities of virtual
reality rather than prioritizing or aligning with those needed by the vocational learner. Research pro-
gress must be made in learner-focused frameworks tuned to ensure that effective adoption follows
the specified requirements.
Finally, the geographic concentration of existing research signals the need to expand collaborations
around the world. Therefore, researchers must strongly advocate for the promotion of active partner-
ships with international vocational institutions in the quest to catalyze localized innovation. Filling
these identified research gaps through context-specific and pedagogically driven VR vocational train-
ing investigations is likely to build evidence guiding the implementation of VR within vocational edu-
cation systems around the world.
The most obvious question that springs from the examination of the top 10 most cited articles ema-
nating from this bibliometric analysis is how a limited sample such as this speaks to the topical
breadth indicated as existing within the field. Within these, only two areas of virtual reality have been
directly investigated in the context of vocational education, with the majority focusing predominantly
on the health sector. Highly influential research explains with clarity the use of virtual reality technol-
ogy in helping adults train on how to interview people suffering from autism spectrum disorders
(Smith, Fleming, Wright, Roberts et al., 2015). The research by Smith et al. concluded that partici-
pants demonstrated improved performance in job interviews after VR training to a greater extent
than when they were exposed to traditional preparation approaches.
Although existing studies in vocational education are very limited, a work in progress focuses on the
validation of a developed course module of practicum in the field of welding based on virtual reality
(Prasetya, Fajri, et al., 2023; Refdinal et al., 2023). The results confirmed the effectiveness of this im-
mersive resource for the welding technology curriculum. The study further considered the use of vir-
tual reality in laboratory settings, whereby the cognitive knowledge of the students' participating in a
web-based virtual laboratory environment showed 57.2% improvement (Wahyuman et al., 2021).
These applications of virtual reality in an experiential learning environment have great promise for
increasing student motivation and hence academic performance. In summary, although still emerg-
ing, initial studies related to the use of virtual reality in vocational education justify the argument that
it can be a powerful pedagogical vehicle in vocational settings.
I MPLICATIONS AND R ECOMMENDATIONS
The co-occurrence results point to several themes that occur dominantly in the research, such as "vir-
tual reality," "vocational education," "training," and "skill development." From these themes, it can
be discerned that the main areas of focus or research priorities in the area point to an overwhelming
interest in the application of virtual reality technology to improve vocational training and the acquisi-
tion of skills. The themes of importance will be those that point to the potential of virtual reality to
revolutionize vocational education by enabling a medium for immersive and interactive learning ex-
periences that can bridge the notoriously problematic gap between theory and practice.

16
 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

Such flagship research themes have a profound impact on VR applications in the field of vocational
education. First, the emphasis on VR technology itself underscores the need for more research and
development to afford, gain access to, and use VR systems and devices within vocational training.
These might include advances in hardware and software and user interface designs that would make
virtual reality technologies more adaptable for specific applications within vocational education. Sec-
ond, the pronounced aspect of vocational education and training raises the need for close-to-the-cur-
riculum and learning-objective VR application development. There is a need for close collaboration
between VR developers, subject matter experts from education, and industry practitioners so that VR
simulations and modules are authentic, context-relevant, and pedagogically sound. The curriculum of
vocational education should be infused with VR technology in view of best practices, where empha-
sis should be placed on complementing and not replacing or repeating the conventional practice of
teaching and practical training.
The focus on skill development would thus indicate that VR technology can help in the development
of practical skills and competences applied while learning vocations. Virtual reality is very instrumen-
tal in enhancing capacity and bridging the skills gap between the education sector and the sector of
employment, giving students further opportunities to apply and perfect those skills in realistic virtual-
created environments. Its effectiveness for the prescribed learning outcome has not yet been deter-
mined. Skills transferred to real-world settings and retention of the skill have not yet been validated.
The development of VR-based training still needs further research to reach its full potential.
It should be noted that the mapping research activity in this area of VR applications within voca-
tional education brings clear patterns in the case of international collaboration and the sharing of
knowledge within this area. Analysis has shown that the United States, China, and Germany are in
the top three positions as the leading countries in research output and collaboration. Most im-
portantly, this finding singles out these countries as the main actors in achieving innovation and ad-
vancement. However, the analysis also revealed potential gaps and disparities in research activity in
different regions. For example, the clearly noticeable underrepresentation of developing countries
and regions of the world would therefore be indicative of the fact that such countries and regions
have limited access to virtual reality technologies and research opportunity windows. This difference
further emphasizes the greater need for improved international, more inclusive, and equal collabora-
tion and knowledge exchange to ensure that the benefits of vocational education are not limited to or
lost to some institutions.
This challenge can only be addressed by fostering transnational research networks and partnerships
that should aim to attract researchers, practitioners, and policy makers from a wide diversity of geo-
graphic and cultural backgrounds. Such a network would enhance the sharing of ideas, collaboration
in technical expertise, and possibly sharing resources while further building the capacity toward VR
research and development for such underrepresented regions. Collaborative research projects of de-
veloped countries with partners from developing countries and communities, supported by interna-
tional funding agencies and organizations, will also receive priority support.
The results of the citation network analysis carried out have brought to light the most influential and
widely cited studies within the field of VR applications in vocational education. Furthermore, it pro-
vided evidence to identify key research questions, methodologies, and findings that have driven the
development of this field. The first of the implications of this analysis is the need for future research-
ers to develop and expand the findings of these influential studies. This, of course, will require copy-
ing and validation of such a study's results in other settings and populations, updating this present, in
comparison, rather meager piece of study in terms of the limitations and gaps identified within the
research and the generation of new research questions and methodologies flowing from the results.
Moreover, analyzing the citation network can have many implications for the emergence of trend
tracking and even research frontiers within a particular discipline. Examination of the more recent,

17
Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

highly cited studies, as well as a detailed discussion of them, do help to glean the more current devel-
opments and innovations that are taking place in the literature and in the realm of VR applications
for vocational education. These will tell us what areas of priority are for future research efforts and
how to invest resources in these most promising and impactful areas of research. Further work may
help identify potential biases in the current research landscape and highlight the limitations of the
work carried out here. For example, if the most-cited works are occupied by a few countries or insti-
tutions, it will sound an alarm for the representation of diversified research perspectives. It may also
be the case that influential studies used the same research methodologies and theoretical frameworks
in mass or even exclusively. This condition probably indicates the case for more pluralistic and even
interdisciplinary approaches in the study of VR in VE.
L IMITATIONS OF THE S TUDY
The current research methodologically still represents several limitations and challenges; first among
these is the scope that the database used allows. Although Scopus represents a huge and well-known
database, this study is certainly limited as regards the scope presented by the database. The relevant
literature cannot always be found by Scopus, and this may be the case in other sources, such as the
Web of Science or Google Scholar. Therefore, less extensive results could be presented. Future re-
search could search and engage a larger number of databases to track more relevant literature, includ-
ing sources from ‘gray’ literature. This will further inform an overview of the research field, and, in
particular, will clearly be able to identify more trends, patterns, and gaps within the subject area of
"Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education."
The other limitation of the study is the time it covers, which spans 2013–2022. The fact that the anal-
ysis is based on the last 10 years implies that the work that is considered seminal or historical trends
in the application of virtual reality in vocational education might not have been captured. Therefore,
the window of time is too narrow for us to track the development of the research landscape over a
longer period and to find possible changes in research priorities or methodological approaches. Fu-
ture studies might be expanded in order to give a more complete picture of the historical develop-
ment and long-term trends in this research domain. This would allow a more detailed analysis of the
way development within the field has taken place over the years, and hence pinpoint possible gaps or
areas from which further digging is to be carried out in order to better consolidate the basic founda-
tion laid down by the work.
Another limitation of this study is the relatively small sample size of 100 articles. Although this sam-
ple allowed for focus and delimitation of recent trends and research patterns, we understand that a
larger sample would allow for not only stronger but also richer findings. A larger dataset might be
able to pick up more nuanced patterns, subdomains, and emerging themes in the application of vir-
tual reality in vocational education. This will allow for a more fine-grain analysis of the collaborations
between research and its associated research networks, including geographic distributions.
Therefore, in the future, the sample size and scope of this search should be expanded to more data-
bases and publication types using keywords such as "conference proceedings" and "book chapters,"
among others, in the search string. From this, the landscape offered would expand to additional re-
search projects and would help identify complementary trends, gaps, and even future areas. However,
this study contributes valuable insights within the state of current research, which can serve as a basis
for further, more in-depth analysis in the field of bibliometrics.
M ETH ODOLOGICAL C H ALLENGES
In addition to the limitations mentioned above, various methodological challenges were evident in
this study. One of the most salient areas was data cleaning and pre-processing. Deduplication was
performed and the harmonization was done to correct for variations in author names, affiliations,
and keywords to make the data uniform. Raw data from the Scopus database had some inconsisten-
cies, for example, in the case of different spellings or abbreviations of the same author or institution,

18
 Muskhir, Luthfi, Watrianthos, Usmeldi, Fortuna, & Samala

which required manual verification and correction. The same goes for terms, spelling, and the atten-
tion to detail given in the way an author writes a certain keyword.
Finding and grouping concepts together turns out to be a very difficult task. Correction of inconsist-
encies in data entry was the key to proper analysis and visualization of the data, but also introduced
ways in which potential sources of error or bias might be admitted. Thus, future research would
greatly benefit from further development of advanced data cleaning and preprocessing techniques in
relation to the use of machine learning algorithms for entity recognition and disambiguation, which
would facilitate automation and semi automation in those processes. This would require standardized
data entry and validation protocols within bibliometric databases to minimize differences, and hence
improve the quality of analysis.
Another methodological limitation encountered in this study is the interpretation of bibliometric in-
dicators. In other words, bibliometric analysis uses several measures through co-citation networks,
keyword co-occurrence maps, and collaboration networks, which point out patterns and tendencies
of the investigated reality. However, such signs are manifestations of some complex variables, and
their interpretation of a given sign will have to be in-depth in their understanding of the conceptual
and consequential web in the given domain of research. For example, by means of co-citation net-
works, one could bring to light the association of very often quoted papers with a number of other
papers, although judgment about the relevance and quality of the relationship must lie with domain
knowledge and a critical appraisal of the contents of those cited works themselves.
In the same way, keyword co-occurrence mapping outlines, in a very general manner, the main
themes and topics under discussion in the literature. Understanding the clusters and their interrela-
tionships may require intimate knowledge of the field and its specific terminologies. Misinterpreta-
tion of the results or building superficial conclusions only on the quantified measures may often be
the case when domain knowledge is lacking. To meet this challenge, future bibliometric studies
should be conducted in collaboration between bibliometric experts and domain specialists so that
clear and meaningful interpretations can be derived from the results. The literature review will there-
fore be an interdisciplinary exercise that links the technical skills of bibliometric analysis with subject
knowledge so that the data are in a position to place them in their context and derive meaning from
them.
Finally, it is important to acknowledge the inherent limitations of the bibliometric approach itself.
Bibliometric analysis is mainly focused on quantitative metrics, such as citation counts, publication
volumes, and keyword frequencies, which essentially sideline the quality dimensions of research, in-
cluding factors such as depth and originality of ideas presented or possible impacts of the findings on
practice. Another limitation is that bibliometric indicators are affected by the citation practices of the
research community and, in doing so, may introduce biases. For example, the most cited articles do
not always reflect the most innovative or impactful; rather, they show the popularity or visibility of
some authors or institutions.
Similarly, the scope and coverage of the bibliographic database used may influence the result in such
a way that some relevant publications are excluded or underrepresented. Explanation thus must be
taken judiciously within the purview of these limitations, and an analysis of a different type, system-
atic literature reviews, or even better, meta-analyses, needs to be done to get a whole understanding
of the research landscape. Future bibliometric analyzes might also consider using multiple databases
and data sources to reduce possible biases. However, bibliometric analysis has invaluable use in re-
vealing trends and research patterns despite such limitations. Furthermore, this study is important to
provide important information on current and future research on virtual reality applications in voca-
tional education.

19
Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

CONCLUSIONS
This article analyzes the literature on current studies on the application of virtual reality in vocational
educational settings to reveal trends, citations, and keyword use in the past decade. The remarkable
insights in question originate from a quantitative synthesis of 100 documents drawn from the Scopus
database. The current volume of publications points to an upward trajectory with increasing scholarly
attention as virtual reality technologies mature. Keyword analysis found a technology-centered focus
that contrasted with minimally learning-oriented themes. Therefore, it is still very important to inte-
grate virtual reality effectively into classrooms. The general findings depicted a landscape more of an
emerging nature, with key lacunae surrounding international and pedagogical research. These results
have strong implications for the further development of the use of virtual reality in vocational educa-
tion.
This underscores that appropriate training frameworks and curricula designed for classroom voca-
tional learners must be developed through more classroom-based studies. Virtual reality developers
from these places may also be encouraged to establish international links between vocational educa-
tors with a view to localized innovations. Adherence to the learning-oriented research perspective
will be an illuminating experience with respect to optimal integration approaches. It develops an em-
pirical foundation that will illuminate clear avenues for advancing the applications of virtual reality in
vocational education around the world.
The result showed that virtual reality in vocational education was a niche with emerging characteris-
tics, meaning an increase in interest over the last few years. Growth has been largely attributable to
active contributions from China, the United States, and other Asian countries. Asian researchers have
contributed to this field mainly through the formal literature. The productivity of the United States
was first, China was second, and the evidence generated was third in the ranking of Germany.
Metadata descriptions revealed two keyword-dominant clusters focusing on the terms "virtual real-
ity," "study," and "technology."
Bibliometric findings may reveal the clear interconnection between virtual reality and vocational edu-
cation. The number of publications per author was used to illustrate that the figure of authors having
four or more publications only signifies that the follow-up research in this area continues to remain
low based on these previous publications. This highlights a gap, which may motivate authors, readers,
and researchers in this domain to do much more work in this regard. Going beyond the simple
pointing out of salient patterns in the emerging literature, the contribution of the present study's
findings is that they identify which areas bear promise for impactful discoveries, thus orienting future
research.

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AUTHORS
Dr. Mukhlidi Muskhir graduated with a Bachelor of Vocational Educa-
tion in Electrical Engineering at Universitas Negeri Padang in 1998, con-
tinued his master’s in 2001 with a Master of Computer Sains at Universi-
tas Gadjah Mada, graduating in 2003. He received his doctoral degree in
2011 with a doctorate in vocational technology education at Universitas
Negeri Yogyakarta, graduating in 2017. He is currently a lecturer in the
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universi-
tas Negeri Padang. His research interests include the research-based
learning model, the self-directed learning model, and the curriculum de-
velopment in vocational technology education.

Afdal Luthfi graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Vocational Education

in Electrical Engineering from the Universitas Negeri Padang in 2022. He
is continuing his master studies at the Faculty of Engineering, Technical
Vocational Education, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia. He works
as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang. His research interests
include Educational Technology, Emerging Technologies in Education,
Vocational Education and Training, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality,
and Mobile Learning.

Ronal Watrianthos received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engi-

neering and a Master of Computer Science in Informatics Engineering
from the Universitas Putra Indonesia YPTK Padang, Indonesia. He is
currently working as a lecturer in the Department of Information Tech-
nology at Politeknik Negeri Padang, Indonesia. He is continuing his doc-
toral studies at the Faculty of Engineering, Technical Vocational Educa-
tion, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia. His research interests include
data mining, technology-enhanced learning, digital learning, open educa-
tion, and TVET.

Professor Usmeldi is a professor of physics education in the Electrical

Engineering Department of Universitas Negeri Padang, West Sumatera,
Indonesia. He is currently the head of Physics Laboratory of Engineering
Faculty. His research interests include development of the physics learn-
ing model, natural science learning model, research-based learning model,
creative project-based learning model, and evaluation of technology and
vocational learning. In addition, he is also actively reviewed in various in-
ternational journals.

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Emerging Research on Virtual Reality Applications in Vocational Education

Aprilla Fortuna holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Vocational Education at Universitas Negeri Padang. He has been an un-
dergraduate assistant lecturer at Universitas Negeri Padang for two aca-
demic terms and has become a candidate for Master of the World's Prem-
ier Universities. Research areas include educational technology, emerging
technologies in education, vocational education and training, engineering
education, assessment, virtual reality, augmented reality, mobile learning,
and future trends in metaverse technologies. He serves as an editorial
board member of the journals: Journal of Engineering Researcher and
Lecturer, Journal of Computer-based Instructional Media, and PAKAR
Pendidikan. He has contributed to the scientific community through his extensive publication record,
with more than 12 published scientific papers, including notable contributions to Scopus-indexed
journals.

Dr. Agariadne Dwinggo Samala is a is a professional educator, futurol-

ogist, and dedicated researcher, and currently serving as an Assistant Pro-
fessor at the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP),
Indonesia, with a research focus on exploring innovative intersections of
technology and education. Additionally, He is a member of EMERGE
(Emerging Technologies, Multimedia, and Education Research Group
Env.) at Digital Society Lab, where he contributes to advancing research
initiatives. He is an external collaborator of the Digital Society Lab at the
Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT), University of Bel-
grade, Serbia. Furthermore, he extends his collaborative efforts as an ex-
ternal collaborator in Technology, Instruction, and Design in Engineering
and Education Research ([Link]), Universidad Católica de Vila, Spain. In addition, he is a mem-
ber of the International Society for Engineering Pedagogy (IGIP) in Austria. With a deep passion for
education, he has conducted impactful research on Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL), Emerg-
ing Technologies in Education, Flexible Learning, 21st Century Learning, and Technology, Voca-
tional Education and Training (TVET).

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