DIGITALIZATION OF FESTIVE EVENTS IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION: A BIBLIOMETRIC AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article examines the digitalization of festive events in preschool education through bibliometric and thematic analysis. The study aims to identify publication dynamics, leading countries, influential publications, citation patterns, and dominant thematic directions in this emerging interdisciplinary field. The research is based on scientific publications indexed in the Scopus database and analyzed using bibliometric methods. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing integration of digital technologies into preschool education, including cultural, creative, and event-based pedagogical activities. The findings show that scientific interest in the topic increased significantly after 2020, largely due to the rapid expansion of online and hybrid educational practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that Australia and Sweden are the leading countries in terms of publication activity, while Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan are gradually entering the international research field. Citation analysis revealed that the most influential publications focus on digital storytelling, teacher digital competence, parental attitudes toward technology, augmented reality, online learning, and digital access to knowledge in preschool classrooms. The study concludes that digital technologies expand the pedagogical potential of festive events by supporting children’s creativity, communication, social participation, emotional development, and cultural identity formation. At the same time, the findings emphasize the need for developmentally appropriate and pedagogically balanced digital integration in preschool institutions.