ELT Curriculum and Policy: A Systematic Review of the Recent Research Literature

This study was conducted to systematically review the English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum and policy studies. A systematic literature review was used to describe the features, trends, and patterns of ELT curriculum and policy studies through the Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Seventy-three empirical articles published between ۲۰۱۰ and ۲۰۲۰ were analyzed based on geographical region, research methodology, participants, and research focus. Results revealed that most of the reviewed studies (۵۸.۹۰%, n=۴۳) were conducted between ۲۰۱۶ and ۲۰۲۰, whereas about ۴۱.۱ % (n=۳۰) of the reviewed studies were carried out between ۲۰۱۰ and ۲۰۱۵. Moreover, about ۶۸.۴۹% of the reviewed studies employed a qualitative research design, followed by a mixed-method (about ۲۴.۶۵%), whereas only about ۶.۸۶% used a quantitative research methodology. Results showed that most of the studies targeted ELT policy and curriculum in Asia (۵۴.۷۹%), followed by Europe (۲۰.۵۵%), America (۱۳.۷۰%), and Africa (۶.۸۴ %). Furthermore, ۴.۱۰ % of the studies examined ELT curriculum and policy globally. Thirty-four ELT policy and curriculum studies focused on teachers, three articles focused on learners, and only two papers targeted other participants. Findings showed that it would be difficult to discern a strong pattern in the ELT curriculum and policy studies since they targeted various issues. The majority of the reports were small-scale qualitative studies conducted in Asian countries; therefore, to address the issue of generalizability in ELT, more extensive quantitative studies in different geographical areas are needed.