Analysis of Domestic Research Trends Related to Early Childhood Literacy Using Keyword Network Analysis: From 2015 to 2024

Objectives This study aims to analyze research trends in early childhood literacy using keyword network analysis. Methods A total of 123 domestic academic papers on early childhood literacy published between 2015 and 2024 were selected for analysis. Frequency analysis and network analysis of the keywords in these papers were conducted. Frequency analysis was performed using Excel 2016, while network centrality analysis was conducted using UCINET 6. Subsequently, the constructed network was visualized using NetDraw. Results First, research on early childhood literacy was published at a similar rate during the early and later periods, but there was a slight decline in the number of studies between 2020 and 2022, followed by a sharp increase in publications in 2023 and 2024. Second, keyword frequency analysis revealed that during the first phase, keywords such as “picturebook reading,” “reading interest,” “picturebook reading activities,” “reading attitude,” and “literacy education” appeared frequently. In the second phase, “home literacy environment,” “mother-child literacy interaction,” “reading interest,” “picturebook reading activities,” and “emergent literacy skills” were prominent. Third, degree centrality showed that during the first phase, keywords like “picturebook reading,” “reading interest,” “mother-child literacy interaction,” “reading attitude,” and “literacy education” were central, while in the second phase, keywords like “home literacy environment,” “reading interest,” “mother-child literacy interaction,” “Korean language acquisition,” “literacy skills,” and “imagination” were central. Closeness centrality indicated that during the first phase, keywords such as “picturebook reading,” “picturebook reading activities,” “reading attitude,” “reading interest,” and “vocabulary” were prominent, while in the second phase, keywords like “home literacy environment,” “mother-child literacy interaction,” “reading interest,” “reading motivation,” and “vocabulary” were central. Betweenness centrality showed that during the first phase, keywords like “picturebook reading,” “reading interest,” “language expression ability,” “mother-child literacy interaction,” and “literacy skills” played a mediating role, while in the second phase, keywords like “home literacy environment,” “reading interest,” “language development,” “mediating effect,” and “emergent literacy skills” were significant mediators. Lastly, eigenvector centrality revealed that during the first phase, keywords such as “reading education,” “book creation,” “reading and writing,” and “multimodal” were prominent, while in the second phase, keywords like “home literacy environment,” “reading interest,” “mother-child literacy interaction,” and “Korean language acquisition” were central. Conclusions These findings provide insights into research trends in early childhood literacy and offer implications for future studies on this topic.