Ilham Rahmatullah, Riyadussolihatil Ulumi, Syarifa Suraiya Rahmani, Tari Agustin, Karina Septiani, Andika Guruh Saputra, Aulianisa Briliani, Ahza Haikal Rafie, Reviana Azzahra Karsena, Rizka Maulidya, Mohamad Ihsan Yunus
This study explored the development and shift of English for specific purposes (ESP) as part of English language teaching (ELT) in the post-2000 digital era. Using a hybrid methodology combining a systematic literature review (SLR) with bibliometric analysis, this study sought to map methodological trends, conceptual orientations, and epistemic shifts occurring within ESP research. The dataset was obtained through a search of the Scopus database, which yielded 9176 initial documents filtered through the PRISMA 2020 framework. The search resulted in a final corpus of 269 articles and 36 studies selected based on their relatedness to the topic for in-depth review. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer to visualize keyword co-occurrence patterns and international co-authorship networks, while CiteSpace was employed to identify citation bursts and thematic evolution over time. The findings reveal a clear shift in ESP from a linguistic-structural focus to a multimodal, technology-integrated, and human-centered paradigm. Recent studies increasingly emphasize AI-assisted feedback systems, data-driven learning, and digital mediation that indicate methodological complexity and ethical awareness in ESP pedagogy. However, research gaps remain in teacher professionalization, cross-regional collaboration, and contextualized hybrid learning practices. This study revealed that post-digital ESP has matured into a techno-humanistic discipline that stressed the importance of understanding digital pedagogy and promoting teacher professionalism across the nations. The study also advances ESP research by providing a comprehensive empirical mapping of ESP–ELT research, integrating digital and ethical dimensions, and proposing a techno-humanistic framework to guide future research, teacher professional development, and educational policy in global ESP contexts. © The Authors.
Yogyakarta State University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
