An Analysis of ELT Research Trends in Roshd FLT

 In this study, over 190 ELT research papers published in Roshd FLT over a 13-year period of time were content analyzed. The analysis revealed that Roshd FLT’s research coverage includes a wide range of areas including 23 general topics. Descriptive statistics, however, showed considerable discrepancies in research space devoted to various research areas. For example, while 14% of research studies published in Roshd FLT are particularly devoted to reading skill, scarcity of research into speaking skill is quite evident. Similarly, while such areas as teacher education, teaching methodology, educational materials are well investigated, socio-cultural aspects of language teaching and more particularly educational policies are rarely researched. The underlying reasons behind these findings, along with a number of suggestions for improving the practicality of research studies in the Iranian ELT context are discussed.