Collaboration and themes in the Journal for Language Teaching (2001–2023):

Burgert Senekal; Theo Du Plessis

doi:10.56285/jltVol58iss2a6466

Burgert Senekal University of the Free State, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1385-9258
Theo Du Plessis University of the Free State, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0982-4842

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56285/jltVol58iss2a6466

Keywords: academic publishing, authorship patterns, co-authorship networks, language education, language teaching research, publication trends, research trends, scholarly communication

Abstract

This study provides a quantitative overview of the Journal for Language Teaching from 2001 to 2023. More specifically, the current study applies network science to study both the co-authorship network and to identify topics. In addition, the journal's focus on multilingualism is investigated. The results indicate a notable growth in collaborative research in the journal, shown by the increasing average number of authors per paper. The analysis of the co-authorship network reveals a moderately connected network, with a significant group of authors forming the giant component. Important authors are also recognised based on centrality measures, highlighting their crucial roles in fostering connections within the network. Collaboration primarily happens within universities, but when it extends across institutions, inland universities tend to collaborate more frequently than those on the coast or between coastal and inland universities. Furthermore, the analysis of research topics identified eight distinct themes prevalent in the Journal for Language Teaching, encom-passing various areas in language education. It is also shown that both in the language of papers and in their language focus, the journal foregrounds English throughout this period, and papers tend to be more often in English and focus on English in recent years.

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Author Biographies

Burgert Senekal, University of the Free State, South Africa

Dr Burgert Senekal is an NRF rated Research Fellow at the University of the Free State with a focus on Afrikaans literature, network analysis, and digital humanities. He has published extensively, exploring diverse topics such as alienation in literature, the Afrikaans literary system, and network analysis in various contexts. He has also co-authored books on digital humanities and AI's impact on society. Dr. Senekal's work takes a strong interdisciplinary approach, combining literary studies with data science and network theory.

Theo Du Plessis, University of the Free State, South Africa

Prof. Theo du Plessis is Professor Emeritus in Language Management in the Department of South African Sign Language & Deaf Studies at the University of the Free State. He founded the Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment at University of the Free State in 1992, establishing the first interpreting laboratory and post-graduate qualifications in interpreting in South Africa, the first post-graduate qualification in language management and the first university programme in South African Sign Language. He is an NRF accredited researcher and editor of the Van Schaik series Studies in Language Policy in South Africa, and the SUN Media series Language Monitor. He serves on the editorial board of the prestigious Springer journal Language Policy, was associate editor of Language Matters (UNISA/Routledge), and member of the first Pan South African Language Board (1996-2001). He is a member of the Académie internationale de droit linguistique/International Academy of Linguistic Law and of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. In 2015 Prof Du Plessis was honoured with a festschrift published as a special issue of the journal Language Matters.

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Collaboration and themes in the Journal for Language Teaching (2001–2023)

A network analysis

Abstract

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