Research frontiers in English oral instruction for Chinese primary education (2004-2024): A bibliometric investigation

As the foundational stage of English language instruction in China, primary education plays a crucial role in shaping students' oral English proficiency, which significantly impacts their advanced language learning in subsequent academic pursuits. Leveraging a comprehensive dataset of 1,635 domestic research articles on primary school oral English instruction from 2004 to 2014, sourced from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, this study employs CiteSpace, a sophisticated visual analysis software, along with content knowledge mapping methodologies to conduct a systematic visual analysis of primary school oral English teaching. Through this rigorous examination, the research aims to identify and synthesize the key research foci and evolutionary trends that have characterized the Chinese academic discourse in this domain over the past two decades. The findings are expected to offer valuable insights and serve as a catalyst for further advancement and scholarly exploration in the field of primary school oral English education in China