Mapping the evolution and future directions of language education research: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis

This study provides a comprehensive overview of research on language education (2000–2024), aiming to observe the development trends, describe collaborations among authors, institutions, countries, and disciplines, and map the knowledge landscape. Additionally, the study interprets research hotspots and outlines future directions in the field of language education. The research collected 3,326 scientific publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and employed bibliometric analysis to interpret the data. Tools such as CiteSpace, HisCite, the Alluvial Generator, and R were used to visualize knowledge maps of language education. The findings indicate a sustained growth trend in language education research and identify key contributors, highlighting the significant achievements of scholars and institutions from North America, and China. The study also presents the leading journals, articles, and disciplines contributing to language education research. Furthermore, it identifies current research focus areas, including positive psychology in language learning, English as a second language teaching, translanguaging, machine translation, and AI-assisted language learning, especially the roles of VR, AR, and chatbots. The study emphasizes the growing importance of technology in language learning and predicts an increasing integration of various technological tools in future language education research.