A bibliometric and content analysis of student engagement research in English language teaching

Abstract

Student engagement research in the field of English language teaching (ELT) has substantially increased in recent years. However, there is a research gap concerning the up-to-date analysis of the current state of student engagement research in ELT. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the historical evolution of trends in published articles, the most influential journals, leading researchers, contributing countries and institutions, impactful articles, emerging themes and methodological characteristics of student engagement research in ELT through bibliometric and content analysis. Data for the study were gathered from 175 research articles retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus databases. The findings indicate a growing interest in student engagement research in ELT, with a particular focus on learner psychology and writing skills, while reading, listening, and speaking received considerably less attention. The findings from the study offer resources, research ideas, avenues for publication, professional development, and collaboration.

Abstract (in Turkish)

Öz

İngiliz Dili Eğitimi (English Language Teaching - ELT) alanında etkin öğrenci katılımı (student engagement) üzerine yapılan araştırmalar son yıllarda önemli ölçüde artmıştır. Buna karşın, İngiliz Dili Eğitimi alanında etkin katılım araştırmalarının güncel durumunun analizine ilişkin alanyazında bir boşluk bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, bibliyometrik ve içerik analizi yoluyla, konuya ilişkin yayınlanan makalelerdeki eğilimlerin tarihsel gelişimi, en etkili dergiler, önde gelen araştırmacılar, katkıda bulunan ülkeler ve kurumlar, etkili makaleler, ortaya çıkan temalar ve ELT’de etkin öğrenci katılımı araştırmalarının metodolojik özellikleri hakkında kapsamlı bir bakış sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma için veriler, Web of Science ve Scopus veri tabanlarından seçilen 175 araştırma makalesinden toplanmıştır. Bulgular, ELT’de etkin öğrenci katılımı araştırmalarına artan bir ilgi olduğunu, özellikle öğrenci psikolojisi ve yazma becerilerine odaklanıldığını, okuma, dinleme ve konuşmanın ise çok daha az ilgi gördüğünü göstermektedir. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgular, akademik dergiler, araştırma fikirleri, yayın, mesleki gelişim ve iş birliğine yönelik öneriler sunmaktadır.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Student engagement refers to the active and meaningful participation of students in educational processes and the level of effort and interest they show in these processes. Unlike participation, engagement requires a deeper level of commitment and interaction with learning materials; it is more than just physically attending classes or completing tasks. Student engagement in English language teaching (ELT) makes the language learning process more effective and meaningful. Therefore, many academic studies were conducted on student engagement in language teaching. A bibliometric analysis of these studies can provide us with a holistic perspective on student engagement. Bibliometric analysis is a method that measures how often and in what context publications and scientific studies are used. This helps us understand which topics are popular and which researchers or studies have the most impact. In a way, it is a research method that maps who is talking to whom in the scientific world, which ideas are trending, and how these ideas evolve over time. Accordingly, this study conducted a bibliometric and content analysis of 175 academic studies on student engagement, and as a result of these analyses, the most published authors, the journals with the most publications, the countries with the most publications, and research trends, gaps and methods in the field of student engagement in English language teaching were identified. The findings indicate a growing interest in student engagement research in ELT, with a particular focus on learner psychology and writing skills, while reading, listening, and speaking received considerably less attention. The findings from the study offer resources, research ideas, avenues for publication, professional development, and collaboration. We expect that these results will provide insights for researchers, teachers, teacher educators, and other stakeholders in the field of English language teaching.

Keywords:

• Student engagement
• English language teaching
• bibliometric research
• learner
• content analysis

Anahtar Kelimeler:

• etkin öğrenci katılımı
• İngiliz Dili Eğitimi
• öğrenci
• bibliyometrik araştırma
• içerik analizi

Acknowledgements

During the preparation of this work, the authors used ChatGPT to improve readability and language. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and took full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gökhan Hınız

Gökhan Hınız (PhD) is an English as a Foreign Language instructor at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Türkiye. He has extensive experience in teaching, curriculum and material development, testing, departmental leadership, and coordinating professional development events at universities in Türkiye. He is currently working in the foreign languages department at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. His research focuses on student engagement and teacher professional development within the field of ELT.

Özgür Çelik

Özgür Çelik (PhD) is an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructor at the School of Foreign Languages, Balıkesir University, Türkiye. His main research areas include academic integrity, academic writing, and the use of Generative AI in writing assessment.