Learning Management System as a Digital Transformation in Elementary Schools: A Bibliometric Study (1989–2025)

This study aims to map the development of research on digital transformation in primary education through Learning Management Systems (LMS) published between 1989-2025 within the broader field of educational technology. The study focuses on four main aspects: (1) publication performance based on year, contributing countries, sources, and document types; (2) thematic structures, including dominant keywords, thematic evolution, and author collaboration networks; (3) intellectual structure analysis through co-citation, bibliographic coupling, and citation network mapping; and (4) the representation of adaptive learning within LMS-related research in primary or elementary education. The method used was bibliometrics utilising the Scopus database and analysed through RStudio (Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny), VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel. A total of 137 articles from 111 sources were included to generate comprehensive publication performance metrics and research network visualisations. The findings indicate that LMS research in primary education is gaining global attention, although publication growth remains relatively stable. Key themes include educational technology, digital literacy, gamification, adaptive learning and learning analytics. China and Indonesia emerge as major collaboration hubs, while Computers & Education dominates citation influence. The field is shifting from general e-learning towards adaptive and AI-supported LMS. This study contributes theoretically by clarifying the intellectual, conceptual, and collaborative structure of LMS research in primary education, providing a systematic foundation for understanding its evolution towards data-driven and personalised learning environments.