16year Scientometric Study of TEL Journal

چکیده مقاله

Scientometrics refers to the quantitative analysis of scientific literature to examine the progress of disciplines. This study employs a scientometric approach to map the scholarship trends of the Journal of Teaching English Language (TEL), formerly known as TELL, owned and published by the Teaching English Language and Literature Society of Iran (TELLSI). No previous attempt has systematically reviewed the knowledge domains covered by this journal over time. Manual data collection was necessitated to access all TEL papers as they have not been indexed in other databases. In total, 304 articles were analyzed across 17 volumes (2007–2023) including articles in press as of 12/5/2023 on parameters of contributing authors, organizations, topics, and keywords. The findings revealed prolific authors like Jalilifar, Atai, and Tajeddin with 18, 16, and 15 articles, respectively, along with leading institutions such as Islamic Azad University, Tehran University, and Tarbiat Modares University with 63, 34, and 33 mentions each. The thematic focus lies predominantly on EFL teachers, learner motivation, writing skills, gender issues, Iranian contexts, and applied linguistics. Grammar, dynamic assessment, pragmatics, and validation research also feature consistently. The distribution of topics aligns with broad developments within English education in Iran. Earlier studies centered around core reading, writing, and vocabulary skills and transitioned into more theoretical branches like sociolinguistics by the 2010s. Recent inclinations capture technology-enabled teaching, online learning, assessment literacy, and teacher cognition. The trends mirror responses to contemporary priorities and shifts in the EFL landscape of Iran. This preliminary scientometric examination sketches the focal domains inhabiting Iranian EFL research over almost two decades. The findings can guide future investigators in identifying literature gaps and extending promising lines of inquiry. For TELLSI, the study delivers valuable suggestions regarding potential special issue themes that resonate with the country’s current EFL context.