Digital Transformation in Educational Finance and School Management: A Bibliometric Analysis of Global Trends

Abstract

This study examined global research trends in the digital transformation of educational finance and school management through a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in the Scopus database from 2016 to 2025. Data were collected from the Scopus database on April 14, 2026, using a structured TITLE-ABS-KEY search query. The search initially identified 1,059 documents, which were refined to 162 relevant publications through PRISMA-based inclusion and exclusion criteria. Bibliometric mapping and performance analyses were conducted using Biblioshiny (R) and VOSviewer, supported by data cleaning and standardization through OpenRefine and a thesaurus file. The results showed a significant increase in global research output on digital transformation in educational finance and school management, particularly after 2020. This trend reflects growing scholarly and institutional attention to the role of digital technologies in educational governance and financial administration. Conference proceedings remained the dominant publication source, while journal publications continued to grow. China emerged as the leading contributor, supported by strong institutional productivity and collaboration networks. Thematic analysis identified major research clusters in financial management, information systems, data-driven decision-making, artificial intelligence, e-learning, and educational technology. Recent studies also emphasized sustainability, economic analysis, blockchain, and decentralized finance. This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive global research map and offering policy insights to advance technology-driven, sustainable educational management practices.