Mapping Research Trends on EFL Student Engagement: A Bibliometric Analysis From 2015 to 2024

This article presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of publications focusing on student engagement within the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. The study uses data retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database on December 3, 2024, employing Microsoft Excel for frequency analysis and VOSviewer for advanced data visualisation. A total of 986 relevant articles were meticulously evaluated, identified through keyword searches for “student* engagement,” “learner* engagement,” and “EFL.” The findings reveal a consistent upward trend in the annual number of publications from 2015 to 2024, reflecting a growing academic interest in this domain. Geographically, China emerges as the leading contributor, producing the highest volume of publications. The study also identifies the most prolific journals, prominent academic institutions, key citation metrics and highly referenced works in the field. Network visualisation maps generated through VOSviewer provide insights into author keywords, co-authorship patterns by nation and author, citation networks by country and document, the co-occurrence of all keywords, and co-citation analysis of cited sources. The prominence of research on EFL student engagement in highly cited journals over the past decade underscores its significance among educators and scholars. The study helps refine theoretical frameworks for EFL student engagement by identifying gaps in existing models and proposing integrative approaches that combine cognitive, emotional and behavioural dimensions and emphasise the role of language learning in promoting global citizenship.