Virtual Reality for Teacher Education: A Bibliometric and Visual Analysis using CiteSpace

Virtual reality (VR) has demonstrated significant potential in transforming teacher education, however, a comprehensive analysis of its research landscape remains limited. To address this gap, this study uses CiteSpace to conduct a bibliometric and visual analysis of 931 articles published between 2014 and 2024, focusing on research trends, influential contributors, emerging hotspots and frontiers and highly cited papers. The findings indicate a consistent upward trend in publications, with China, the United States, and Spain leading research output, while universities serve as the primary contributors. Nonetheless, collaboration among authors and institutions remains limited. Moreover, key applications of VR in teacher education include pre-service training, distance education, and special education. Additionally, emerging trends emphasis the growing role of VR technologies in enhancing teacher training and classroom practice. Based on the review results, this paper concludes with three implications for future practitioners and researchers to apply VR in teacher education and professional development.