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Topic · Literature and Literary Theory

Second Language Learning and Teaching

Second Language Learning and Teaching is a research topic within Literature and Literary Theory. Science Explorer counts 52k research works in it since 1950. 10.3% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the implementation, impact, challenges, and benefits of English-medium instruction (EMI) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in higher education. It explores topics such as language policy, teacher training, academic language development, student perceptions, and the effects of EMI on content learning. The cluster also delves into the complexities of multilingualism and the globalization of higher education.

  • Content and Language Integrated Learning
  • CLIL
  • Higher Education
  • Language Policy
  • Multilingualism
  • Teacher Training
  • Academic Language
  • Student Perceptions
  • Bilingual Education
  • Globalization
Research works
52k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
5.3k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.3%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+25%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
23% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Second Language Learning and Teaching

Which countries lead Second Language Learning and Teaching research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (1.8k and 1.5k works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 1.8k works
  2. 2 United States 1.5k works
  3. 3 Indonesia 1.4k works
  4. 4 Spain 659 works
  5. 5 United Kingdom 571 works
  6. 6 Türkiye 400 works
  7. 7 Vietnam 396 works
  8. 8 Malaysia 353 works
  9. 9 Russia 331 works
  10. 10 Japan 329 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 23.1%United States: 19.1%Indonesia: 18.6%Spain: 8.5%6 others listed: 30.7%23%largest
China1,792 · 23.1%United States1,485 · 19.1%Indonesia1,443 · 18.6%Spain659 · 8.5%6 others listed2,380 · 30.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Second Language Learning and Teaching research?

By volume in 2022-now, Can Tho University publishes the most Second Language Learning and Teaching research, followed by Tribhuvan University and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Can Tho UniversityVietnam 63 works
  2. 2 Tribhuvan UniversityNepal 63 works
  3. 3 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 60 works
  4. 4 State University of MalangIndonesia 59 works
  5. 5 Indonesia University of EducationIndonesia 57 works
  6. 6 Yogyakarta State UniversityIndonesia 56 works
  7. 7 National University of MalaysiaMalaysia 54 works
  8. 8 Education University of Hong KongChina 53 works
  9. 9 University of Hong KongChina 52 works
  10. 10 University of the Basque CountrySpain 50 works

Who are the leading researchers in Second Language Learning and Teaching?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Second Language Learning and Teaching include Pierre Bourdıeu, Lei Jiang and Michael Tomasello.

  1. 1 Pierre Bourdıeu France 268k citations
  2. 2 Lei Jiang China 214k citations
  3. 3 Michael Tomasello Germany 135k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in Second Language Learning and Teaching?

The most cited paper in Second Language Learning and Teaching is "THEORETICAL BASES OF COMMUNICATIVE APPROACHES TO SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND TESTING" (Michael Canale, Merrill Swain, 1980), with 5,011 citations. Next come "Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition" (4,504) and "The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition" (4,119).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 THEORETICAL BASES OF COMMUNICATIVE APPROACHES TO SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND TESTING Michael Canale, Merrill Swain · Applied Linguistics 1980 5,011
2 Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition Karl J. Krahnke, Stephen D. Krashen · TESOL Quarterly Jun 1983 4,504
3 The Psychology of the Language Learner: Individual Differences in Second Language Acquisition Zoltán Dörnyei 29 Jun 2005 4,119
4 The Internationalization of Higher Education: Motivations and Realities Philip G. Altbach, Jane Knight · Journal of Studies in International Education 30 Aug 2007 3,493
5 The Study of Second Language Acquisition Julie Kearney, Rod Ellis · TESOL Quarterly 1995 3,206
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Second Language Learning and Teaching research done?

The largest centres of Second Language Learning and Teaching research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Moscow (Russia) and Malang (Indonesia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Trà Vinh, Can Tho and Nakhchivan.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 167 works
  2. 2 Kuala LumpurMalaysia 146 works
  3. 3 MoscowRussia 132 works
  4. 4 MalangIndonesia 129 works
  5. 5 Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam 122 works
  6. 6 BangkokThailand 118 works
  7. 7 Hong KongChina 117 works
  8. 8 JakartaIndonesia 116 works
  9. 9 ShanghaiChina 116 works
  10. 10 YogyakartaIndonesia 115 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. Trà VinhVN · 22.9 works53×
  2. Can ThoVN · 63.2 works27×
  3. NakhchivanAZ · 28.2 works26×
  4. Tai PoCN · 53.3 works23×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Second Language Learning and Teaching than the world average.

See Second Language Learning and Teaching on the map

Where is the best place to study Second Language Learning and Teaching?

Among universities, judged by research, Education University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of Hong Kong score highest, combining citation excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 37.69%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →Chinese University o…University of OxfordEducation University…University of Hong K…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Citation excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Education University of Hong KongChina 87.543.8%28.0×53 +16.7%
2Chinese University of Hong KongChina 80.646.9%3.6×34 +32.7%
3University of Hong KongChina 79.038.9%4.3×52 +2.5%
4University of OxfordUnited Kingdom 76.145.2%1.7×32 +6.7%
5University of MacauChina 75.632.2%8.0×34 +50.5%
6Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityChina 74.939.1%3.1×35 +25.1%
7University of the Basque CountrySpain 71.925.8%8.0×50 +8.7%
8Shantou UniversityChina 70.342.9%5.4×16 +33.0%
9Nazarbayev UniversityKazakhstan 70.130.4%13.3×26 +100.5%
10University College LondonUnited Kingdom 69.531.7%1.9×40 +14.0%

Universities only. The score blends citation excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Second Language Learning and Teaching, country by country

Is Second Language Learning and Teaching research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 25% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2024. The fastest-growing topics are Second Language Learning and Teaching.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Second Language Learning and Teaching as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.071% in 2024.

still counting0.025%0.050%0.075%Second Language Learning and Teaching0.060% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Second Language Learning and Teaching over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Second Language Learning and Teaching10.4% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

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