Science education is a strategic cornerstone that supports scientific and technological innovation and the building of a strong country. Discovering trends and summarizing experiences from the development process of science education research has academic value and practical significance for promoting the high-quality development of science education and better serving the strategic needs of the country. A bibliometric analysis of high-quality scientific education research on China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from 2006 to 2026 was conducted using Citespace, presenting the overall research landscape and conducting a more in-depth review analysis of the development trend in combination with the literature. Research findings show that over the past two decades, domestic science education research has undergone a practical shift from discipline-based to interdisciplinary integration, from individual cognition to social practice, from a single paradigm to multiple norms, and from international experience to localized exploration. But there are still deficiencies, such as weak empirical research and insufficient cross-disciplinary cooperation. Four prospects for domestic science education research in the future are proposed: continuously improve the construction of the science education system; strengthen situational practice and literacy-oriented evidence-based research; enhance cross-disciplinary collaborative cooperation; accelerate the exploration of new domains and new qualities to empower science education.