Longitudinal analysis of Spanish doctoral theses in education (1841-2012)

This article analyzes the research output of doctoral theses in the field of Education defended in Spain from 1841-2012. It offers a quantified global and diachronic view of such series. As a landmark to note is the fact that until 1954, obtaining a doctoral degree was centralized at the Complutense University of Madrid. They are used as search engines bibliographic databases: TESEO and institutional repositories, and basic bibliography of the area to carry out the collection of the sample. The contrasting hypothesis is to verify whether the time series partially follows the pattern of growth of the science of Derek J. de Solla Price. The central finding is that the Spanish production of doctoral theses in education is adjusted to a quasi-logistic model with a worrying falling trend in the last twelve years