Abstract:

The present paper reviews the empirical studies on foreign language education published in SSCI and CSSCI journals from 2009 to 2022 using the bibliometric analysis tool CiteSpace. After giving an overview of this research area based on the annual publication status, the paper first examines the research subjects, contexts, topics, methods, and theoretical perspectives of the field in China and abroad, and then reveals the research hotspots and deduces the future trends for the field based on the data in the past five years. The findings are as follows: (1) Fruitful results have been achieved both at home and abroad in terms of the empirical investigations into foreign language education, but the research in China is currently lagging behind; (2) Insufficient attention has been paid to primary school students and foreign languages other than English (LOTEs) by both domestic and international researchers; (3) Empirical studies in SSCI and CSSCI journals have focused on various microscopical issues, their research methods and data collection tools are diversified, and they tend to employ similar theoretical frameworks; (4) With the continuous development of information technology, both domestic and foreign scholars are paying increasing attention to technology-empowered foreign language education. Based on the above findings, suggestions on future research are put forward.

Key words: Foreign language education, Empirical studies, Comparative analysis