Toward a taxonomy of entrepreneurship education research literature: A bibliometric mapping and visualization

Abstract

The retrospective amount of research literature dedicated to entrepreneurship education (EE) is overwhelming, which makes producing an overview difficult. However, advanced bibliometric mapping and clustering techniques can help visualize and structure complex research literature. Thus, the objective of this mapping study is to systematically explore and cluster the EE research literature to deliver a taxonomic scheme that can serve as a basis for future research. The analyzed data, which were drawn from the Web of Science and Scopus, consist of 1773 peer-reviewed documents published between 1975 and 2014. On the one hand, this taxonomy should create stronger ties to educational research; on the other, it can foster international research collaboration to boost both interdisciplinary EE and its impact on a global basis. This work reinforces our understanding of current EE research by identifying and distilling the most powerful intellectual relationships among its contributions and contributors. Consequently, this study addresses not only the academic community but also entrepreneurship educators and policymakers in an effort to boost entrepreneurial spirit, design effective policy instruments, and, ultimately, improve societal welfare.