Critical Thinking in English Language Teaching: A Bibliometric Analysis .

Area of Science:

• Educational Research
• Language Pedagogy
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• Critical thinking (CT) is essential for 21st-century English Language Teaching (ELT).
• Limited understanding of research trends and developments in CT within ELT.
• This study maps the evolution of CT research in ELT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze publication trends, influential authors, journals, and thematic patterns in CT research within ELT.
• To identify research gaps in the field of CT in ELT.
• To understand the evolution of CT research from 2009 to 2024.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 129 publications from the Scopus database (2009-2024).
• Utilized VOSviewer, Biblioshiny (R 4.4.1), and Microsoft Excel for data analysis.
• Examined publication growth, citation impact, author/country productivity, and keyword co-occurrence.

Main Results:

• Consistent increase in CT publications in ELT from 2009-2024.
• Indonesia emerged as the most productive country; international collaboration is limited.
• Key themes include pedagogy, digital technology, and student engagement, indicating a shift to applied research.

Conclusions:

• Growing scholarly attention signifies academic relevance but highlights gaps in empirical implementation and collaboration.
• Future research should focus on data-driven, longitudinal studies integrating pedagogical experimentation and sociocultural perspectives.
• Strengthening CT development requires inclusive approaches across diverse educational settings.