MAPPING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARABIC LANGUAGE EDUCATION RESEARCH IN THE ERA OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION: A SCOPUS-BASED BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW

Abstract

This study maps the development of research on Arabic language education in the contemporary technological era by applying a Scopus-based bibliometric review. The article responds to the accelerated digital transformation of language education, the expansion of artificial intelligence, and the growing pressure on Arabic pedagogy to align classical literacy traditions with digitally mediated communicative practices. Using a PRISMA-guided selection process, bibliographic metadata were retrieved from Scopus through the query TITLE-ABS-KEY (("Arabic language education" OR "Arabic language learning" OR "Arabic teaching" OR "Arabic pedagogy") AND (technology OR digital OR online OR e-learning OR mobile OR blended OR artificial intelligence OR gamification)). Records were limited to journal articles published in English between 2015 and 2025. After screening and eligibility assessment, 162 documents were included. The dataset was analyzed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to identify annual publication trends, country productivity, institutional affiliations, co-authorship structures, leading authors and citations, and keyword co-occurrences. The findings show a steep rise in publication output after 2020, with strong contributions from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The social structure of the field remains uneven: collaboration is growing, but it is concentrated around a relatively small number of institutions and authors. The conceptual structure reveals a transition from earlier emphases on e-learning, vocabulary, and mobile learning toward newer themes such as artificial intelligence, digital literacy, blended learning, and teacher training. Critically, the literature remains fragmented between pedagogical innovation studies and broader educational technology discussions. The article argues that Arabic language education is entering a more mature digital phase, yet still requires stronger international collaboration, more methodologically robust classroom studies, and deeper theoretical integration between technology, communicative competence, and Arabic-specific epistemic traditions