Analysis of Research Trends in Theses of Early Childhood Education Teacher Education Students Universitas Negeri Medan 2019-2023

This study aims to analyze the trends in research focus conducted by students of the Early Childhood Education Teacher Education program, Universitas Negeri Medan, from 2019 to 2023. A literature review was employed as the research method. Data was collected through a document study using metadata from the Universitas Negeri Medan digilib repository, comprising 158 documents. The results indicate that several keywords are currently trending, including: speech delay, smartphone impact, folding, fine motor skills, collage, plasticine, social interaction, character education, children's good character, creativity, development, expressive language, storytelling methods, hand puppets, bigbook media, media, discipline, economic tokens, smart trees, traditional play methods, children's social and emotional abilities, language skills, flashcard media, sexual harassment, "I can take care of myself" books, learning planning, science learning, playing blocks, size and shape recognition, color, counter board, STEAM, management, infrastructure, morals of 5-6-year-old children, career women, children's personality, moral intelligence, children's independence, YouTube applications, children's social skills, role-playing methods, jump rope games, clog games, and circuit games. The study concludes that emerging trends in student research for 2023 can be categorized into language development, character building, learning media, and traditional play methods.