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REVIEW article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Leadership in Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1435928
This article is part of the Research Topic Leadership Education for Social Responsibility View all 5 articles

Lessons Learned in Transition: A Bibliometric Analysis of Educational Management in School Transfer to Provincial Administrative Organizations during Decentralization

Provisionally accepted
Jiraporn Chano Jiraporn Chano 1,2*Denchai Prabjandee Denchai Prabjandee 3Rungthip Singporn Rungthip Singporn 1Melinda Tuaypar Melinda Tuaypar 1Bahtiar Mohamad Bahtiar Mohamad 4
  • 1 Facuty of Education ,Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand
  • 2 Faculty of Education,Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Maha Sarakham, Thailand
  • 3 Faculty of Education, Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand
  • 4 Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Malaysia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study conducts a bibliometric analysis to explore the dynamics of educational management during the transfer of schools to Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAOs) as part of Thailand's decentralization efforts. The primary aim is to identify key themes, trends, and influential works that shape the discourse surrounding this policy shift. Using a dataset of 190 publications and authors' keyword co-occurrence data, the study examines trends, patterns, and knowledge gaps from 2018 to 2024. By applying bibliometric techniques, including citation and co-citation analysis, the research maps the intellectual landscape of educational management within the context of decentralization. Despite a downward trend in the volume of publications, these methods remain essential for handling quantitative research data and understanding the citation patterns within the field. The findings reveal a concentrated focus on administrative challenges, stakeholder engagement, and the impact on educational outcomes. However, there is a notable lack of research addressing the long-term effects and sustainability of the management structures that have been transferred to PAOs. Additionally, the study highlights key authors, institutions, and journals that have significantly contributed to the field, showcasing an academic network of collaboration and knowledge production. This bibliometric overview provides policymakers, educators, and researchers with a consolidated view of the lessons learned during this transition. It underscores the need for continued investigation into best practices and innovative approaches to educational management in decentralized systems. Future research directions are proposed to address the identified gaps and further explore the evolving landscape of educational governance in Thailand. Ultimately, this study contributes to the broader discourse on decentralization and its implications for educational administration, offering valuable insights to inform policy and practice in similar contexts globally.

    Keywords: Decentralization, Lesson learned, Education management, Local Government, School

    Received: 21 May 2024; Accepted: 13 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chano, Prabjandee, Singporn, Tuaypar and Mohamad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jiraporn Chano, Facuty of Education ,Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.