ABSTRACT

Purpose This study aimed to analyze research trends in school-aged reading by examining 71 studies on reading in school-aged children published in Korean academic journals between 2021 and 2024, and to identify recent trends and the conceptual structure of reading research in Korea.Methods Reading ability functions as a core foundational skill for overall academic achievement in school-aged children, and difficulties in reading, including reading disability, may have long-term effects on subsequent learning and development. Based on this background, the present study conducted descriptive statistical analysis and title-based text network analysis on studies collected from major academic databases.Results The analysis of annual distributions showed that school-aged reading research exhibited different distribution patterns across the analyzed period, with the highest proportion of studies published in 2024. In terms of study types, survey studies and intervention studies accounted for 74.6% of the total, indicating that research has primarily focused on identifying reading characteristics and examining the effects of interventions. In contrast, diagnosticassessment studies and literature reviews accounted for a relatively smaller proportion. The keyword network analysis revealed a structured network centered on "reading," with major concepts such as "intervention," "fluency," "comprehension," and "dyslexia" being closely interconnected. These findings indicate that school-aged reading research encompasses a wide range of topics related to reading performance, its subcomponents, and reading disability. In particular, "dyslexia" was positioned adjacent to concepts related to phonological processing and writing, reflecting a tendency for multiple subdomains to be examined together in related research.Conclusions This study provides a technical overview of the annual distribution, study types, and structural relationships among key concepts in school-aged reading research in Korea. By delineating the overall research trends and knowledge structure, the findings offer foundational information to inform future reading intervention research and related study design.