Systematic Literature Mapping: Studies Related to ESL/EFL Oral Communication Skills (2018-2022)

Abstract

In our interconnected world, English has become the language used for communication in different contexts. It is used as the language employed to facilitate exchange of information in different fields such as business, academia, science, technology, and culture, among others. This paper describes the development of a systematic literature mapping (SLM) using 68 studies from the Scopus and WoS databases from 2018 to 2022 related to English language oral communication with the purpose of analyzing recent publications on the topic, the thematic lines that researchers have focused on, the methodology and tools used to carry out their research, the contexts in which investigations take place, the journals that publish these articles, and the recommendations for future studies. The results show the interest in EFL/ESL oral communication in different environments, the strategies used by teachers and learners, some of the cognitive and affective processes that impact oral proficiency, as well as the use of technology and how it contributes to the development of these investigations. The search for articles was limited to articles written in the English language that referred to oral communication in English as a second or foreign language. This work is of value for researchers and teachers interested in exploring the trends in this topic.