Research Trend Analysis of Online English Learning and Teaching Using Topic Modeling

Abstract

This study aims to investigate and compare the research trend of online English education between Korea and the world for before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, and try to predict possible future trends of the research using the method of topic modeling and text network analysis. Research papers published between 2018 and 2022 from KCI and Springer were collected and analyzed. The findings from the comparison between the result of Springer and that of KCI show the biggest difference in research trends in Korea and around the world. That is, the world research trend shows a more general focus on the technological aspects while Korean research trend reports the dispersed nature of more specific aspects of classroom teaching, which might be due to the stable Internet infrastructure and well-equipped facilities in the classrooms. Thus, English teachers in Korea seem to focus on the finer aspects of English teaching and learning to promote instructional effectiveness. Based on the findings, educational implications will be discussed.