Applied Linguistics Research Articles in Saudi Arabia: A Content Analysis

Abstract

This study aims at investigating applied linguistics research articles (ALPRAs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that were published during 2004 – 2022. More precisely, it sought to reveal those articles' distribution, topics they covered, research methods they adopted, data collection instruments, sample members and size, and data analysis techniques they followed. An article classification form (ACF) was adopted to analyze 455 ALPRAs, which were collected through a purposive sample. Results showed that most research articles were published during 2019 – 2022, language teaching and learning/teaching methods were the most AL investigated topics during this period, the quantitative approach dominated the ALPRAs in KSA, and questionnaires were the prevailing data collection tools. Moreover, undergraduates whose numbers ranged between 31 – 100 and 101 – 300 were the sample members and the sample size adopted in ALPRAs. The study recommended that well-designed research method courses are needed to be provided by English Departments in Saudi Universities.