Systematic scoping review into educational linguistics praxis in language learning and teaching

Abstract

This study presents the first systematic scoping review of the field of educational linguistics, providing a comprehensive synthesis of the existing evidence, clarifying the nature and scope of the field, and paving the way for subsequent systematic reviews. Articles and reviews published from 1998 to 2023 on educational linguistics and its praxis in language learning and teaching were examined. A qualitative analysis of 86 studies uncovered three major themes, namely, the research scope and disciplinary orientation, application, and relevance of educational linguistics. Drawing inspiration from advancements in related fields such as second language acquisition, we proposed innovative insights into its practical application. In this study, we not only identified the nature of educational linguistics, its research topics, three main schools in the field and its contribution to language education praxis, but also demonstrated that educational linguistics can further advance the development of both theory and practice in the linguistics community by drawing on the insights of related fields. In addition, we compared our findings with those of relevant reviews in the discussion. Furthermore, we suggest directions for future research and practice, as well as potential avenues for future reviews.