The Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ): A Bibliometric Analysis of the First 99 Issues

Abstract

February 2022 marks the 100th issue of the Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ), set up in 1994 as the brainchild of a group of scholars who saw the need for a freely distributed electronic academic journal covering a diverse array of interests within teaching English as a second language long before the term “open access” was coined. The present study constitutes a bibliometric analysis of the first 99 issues of TESL-EJ. Through cross-sectional and historical analysis of a range of key metrics, notably the scale of its output and citations by other authors, frequency of topics explored, most productive and influential author affiliations and countries, and the extent of author collaboration, the study analyzes the growth and development of research activity as reflected in the publication’s output during the period under study. The study found that the nature of the journal’s output has evolved over the years from anecdotal practitioner reviews and thought pieces to rigorous empirical research. As a US-based journal, North American scholarship is well-represented across TESL-EJ’s output, particularly in studies contextualized in tertiary-level settings. There has been a consistent tendency towards non-specialist research topics within teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), notably, EFL, writing, language learning, English teacher, English language learner, reflective of the journal’s large, global readership. The implications for the journal’s stakeholders, the editorial team and scholars considering submission, are discussed.

Mapping the research trends of third language acquisition: A bibliometric analysis based on Scopus

“…Other studies also suggest that the US tends to occupy the dominant position in the academic circle but shows a slow decline, with the publications from other emerging powerhouses (e.g., China, United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, Indonesia) leading a steady increase ( Liao and Lei, 2017 ; Lei and Liu, 2019a ; Huan and Guan, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2022 ), providing some evidence to the globalization ( Hyland and Jiang, 2021 ). Similarly, Pearson ( Pearson, 2022 ) reported a well-represented North American scholarship across academic output in Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal, particularly in studies contextualized in higher education. The reason European countries such as Spain have a more substantial presence in L3 acquisition (most productive affiliations) might be due to the linguistic environment and policies in these regions.…”

“…Apart from focusing on a specific research topic, the bibliometric analysis in the linguistic field can also manifest at the journal level. For instance, scholars have undertaken such a study by examing the publications of a determined journal: Applied Linguistics and Journal of Linguistic ( Ezema and Asogwa, 2013 ), System ( Lei and Liu, 2019b ), German Journal of Writing Centres ( Bromley et al, 2020 ), Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal ( Pearson, 2022 ), Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching ( Zhong and Liu, 2022 ), Language Testing ( Dong et al, 2022 ), Language Problems and Language Planning ( Li and Liu, 2013 ), and Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies ( Syahi̇d and Qodi̇r, 2021 ).…”

Triple Method Approach to Development of a Genre-Based Approach to Teaching ESL/EFL Writing: A Systematic Literature Review by Bibliometric, Content, and Scientometric Analyses

“…To identify the essence of a field, bibliometrics, including citation and co-citation analyses, uses quantitative methods based on written documents (McBurney & Novak, 2002). The field of TESOL has embraced bibliometric analysis; thus, its use has increased (Ngoc & Barrot, 2022; Pearson, 2022; Yilmaz et al, 2022). The specific reasons for this increase are the advancement, increased availability, and increased accessibility of scientific databases (e.g., WoS, Scopus, ERIC, Google Scholar, and ProQuest).…”

A Case Study of a Hungarian-English Bilingual Girl’s Code-switching Practices between the Ages of Three and Eleven

“…Many authors (Baker, 2006;Cekaite & Björk-Willén, 2012;Chen et al, 2020;Cromdal, 2013;Gafaranga,2012;Hamers, 2004;Nikolov, 1999;Pavlenko, 2006;Velasco, 2020) call attention to the dynamic nature of language learners and to the role of actual subjective experiences in the language learning process. Naturally occurring discourse, personal accounts on language choice and preference provide a fruitful arena for collecting and studying data on affective meanings of language shift and on identity formulation during the learning process.…”