BIBLIOMETRIC AND SEMANTIC NETWORK ANALYSIS OF UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE IN MEXICAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS THROUGH THE VOSVIEWER MODEL

Abstract

University governance has become a strategic dimension for understanding institutional performance, organizational adaptation, and knowledge production in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The objective of this study was to analyze the semantic and organizational structures associated with university governance in Mexican HEIs through a bibliometric and network-based approach using the VOSviewer model. The research adopted a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, correlational, and non-experimental design integrating bibliometric mapping, structural equation modeling, semantic clustering, and multivariate statistical analysis. The sample consisted of 420 indexed scientific records associated with governance, digital administration, scientific collaboration, organizational leadership, institutional innovation, and academic transparency. Data processing was conducted through co-occurrence matrices, network centrality analysis, modularity estimation, and semantic normalization procedures. The findings revealed that scientific collaboration constituted the strongest governance predictor of organizational performance, followed by organizational leadership and digital governance. The semantic network generated through the VOSviewer model identified three principal governance clusters associated with collaborative productivity, digital transformation, and organizational accountability. Structural trajectories demonstrated significant relationships among governance constructs and institutional performance indicators. The results confirmed that university governance operates as an interconnected semantic ecosystem regulated through collaborative density, technological integration, and organizational coordination mechanisms. The study contributes to governance research by integrating bibliometric algorithms, semantic mapping, and structural modeling into a multidimensional analytical framework capable of explaining governance dynamics within Mexican HEIs.