Mapping the Evolution of Foreign Language Anxiety Research (2010–2025): A Bibliometric Analysis
Abstract
Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) research has expanded beyond its traditional focus on classroom anxiety and language performance toward broader emotional, motivational, instructional, and technology-mediated dimensions. However, existing bibliometric studies provide limited field-level evidence on the recent transformation of FLA research, particularly its thematic evolution, disciplinary contributions, and scholarly collaboration. This study maps the development, thematic structure, and collaborative landscape of FLA research from 2010 to 2025 using bibliometric analysis. Bibliographic data were retrieved from Dimensions.ai, yielding a final dataset of 7,056 research articles. Descriptive bibliometric indicators and VOSviewer-based network analyses were used to examine publication and citation trends, research fields and publication sources, thematic structures, temporal thematic evolution, and co-authorship networks. The findings show that annual publications increased from 57 articles in 2010 to 1,381 in 2025, while citations increased from 11 to 33,610 over the same period. FLA research was concentrated in Language, Communication and Culture (3,967 articles), Education (3,170), and Psychology (897), with Frontiers in Psychology being the most productive publication source (242 articles). The thematic analysis identified five clusters encompassing anxiety and evaluation, positive emotions and motivation, instruction and technology, contextual factors, and conceptual or reflective research. The temporal analysis indicates a shift from traditional classroom and test anxiety toward technology, online learning, proficiency, and more complex analytical perspectives. The co-authorship analysis of 36 authors revealed several interconnected but relatively separate collaboration groups. Overall, the findings provide an updated field-level account of FLA research as an increasingly multidimensional, interdisciplinary, and context-sensitive domain.