Bibliometric Analysis of Research on CEFR-Based English Speaking Pedagogy

This study presents a bibliometric analysis of research on CEFR-based English speaking pedagogy, aiming to examine publication patterns, leading journals, and emerging thematic trends. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection. The dataset spans from 2009 to 2026, covering nearly two decades of research on CEFR-based English speaking pedagogy. The analysis combined performance analysis in order to investigate yearly publication trends, geographic hotspots, and journal impact, with science mapping to explore keyword co-occurrence, thematic clusters, and the conceptual structure of the field. Data processing and visualization were conducted using Tableau and VOSviewer 1.6.20. The findings indicate a steady growth in publications over time, with Spain, Russia, and Malaysia emerging as top contributing countries and seven nations demonstrating collaborative research efforts. The top journals reflect both the breadth of scholarly engagement and varying levels of influence. Analysis of 592 author keywords identified the ten most frequently used terms, forming five thematic clusters that reflect the conceptual focus of the field. The research trends show a progression from technology-mediated teaching innovations to CEFR-aligned assessment research, and more recently toward affective dimensions of speaking performance.