Exploring Research on English as a Foreign Language in Turkiye: The Story of Twenty Years

Abstract

There is a lack of a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) research in Türkiye, where existing reviews provide only fragmented insights into specific themes or subfields. This study aims to systematically examine the development, trends, and structures of EFL research in Türkiye between 2005 and 2025 by mapping its scholarly landscape through a scientometric approach. Using data extracted from the Web of Science (WOS), the study investigates publication productivity, citation patterns, influential authors and institutions, source dynamics, document types, thematic tendencies, and the conceptual, intellectual, and social structures of the field. The findings reveal a steadily growing body of research with a 15.35 percent annual publication rate, increasing diversification of topics, strong contributions from leading universities, and emerging patterns of collaboration despite limited international co-authorship. The analysis also identifies core journals, highly influential authors, dominant keywords, and major thematic clusters that have shaped the field over two decades. Based on these results, the study recommends establishing stronger interdisciplinary collaborations, increasing international partnerships, supporting underrepresented research areas, and encouraging more systematic, longitudinal, and theory-driven investigations to guide evidence-based policy and practice in EFL education in Türkiye.