Bibliometric analysis of doctoral theses on academic practices and active methodologies: Presence and impact in physical education (1976–2025)

Abstract

This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of 61 doctoral theses on academic practices and active methodologies, defended at Spanish universities between 1976 and 2025, to explore the evolution, impact, and research dynamics in this field. Using the TESEO database, the analysis identifies sustained growth in scientific production, with an average of 1.48 theses per year and a historical peak in the period from 2021 to 2025 (18 theses), linked to the rise of active methodologies in teacher education. The gender distribution reveals a notable transition: while women predominated in early stages (100% from 1996 to 2000), men surpassed them in contributions during the most recent period (61.1% between 2021 and 2025), a pattern also reflected in academic supervision, with a complete absence of female supervisors in recent years. With regard to institutional productivity, the University of Barcelona stands out as the most active (11.48% of the theses), followed by the universities of Granada, Malaga, and Salamanca, alongside a general decentralization involving 25 universities. Thematically, the focus on didactics and school organization dominates (34 theses), while areas such as body expression didactics remain under-represented (3 theses), despite their pedagogical potential in practical contexts. A semantic analysis of thesis titles highlights terms like teacher training, pedagogical innovation, and active methodologies (cooperative learning, educational technologies), in line with current priorities in educational research. The implications emphasize the need for policies promoting gender equity in academic leadership, valuing institutional diversity as a source of interdisciplinary perspectives, and fostering research in underexplored areas, such as body expression, to strengthen holistic theoretical frameworks. Limitations include reliance on TESEO data, potential coverage biases, and the absence of qualitative analysis of thesis content. Nonetheless, the study provides a pioneering foundation for understanding the integration of innovative methodologies in physical education.