Effectiveness of NLP in Teaching English as an L2

A Systematic and Bibliometric Review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.6047

Keywords:

Neurolinguistic Programming, Language teaching, English as a second language, Self-knowledge, Learning methodologies

Abstract

This study conducts a systematic review and a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on the effectiveness of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) in teaching English as a second language (L2), following the PRISMA 2020 statement. A total of 1,446 records were identified in international databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, ÍnDICEs CSIC, and TESEO). After removing duplicates and completing the screening and eligibility process, the final sample consisted of 42 studies.

A bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer (v.1.6.20), examining keyword co-occurrence networks, country co-authorship networks, and publication trends over time. The results show growth over the last decade, although with a geographical predominance in Asia and the Middle East. From a critical perspective, most studies present significant methodological limitations. The main conclusion reached points to the intrinsic usefulness of NLP, particularly in terms of motivation, for both students and teachers. The studies reviewed support its application, highlighting its relevance as a method, at least in a complementary capacity. Nevertheless, further research is required to validate its effectiveness in language teaching.

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Author Biographies

Sara Osuna-Acedo, Universidad Nacional a Distancia

Academic Information

Graduated in Primary Education Teaching in 1979 from The Complutense University of Madrid (University School of Ciudad Real).
Degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences in 1989 from the UNED (UNED).
PhD in Education in 2004 from the UNED. (Spanish National University
of Distance Education).

Research activity

Principal Investigator of the consolidated Research Group Social Media y Educación Mediática Inclusiva y Ubicua (SMEMIU) (Social Media and Inclusive and Ubiquitous Media Education (SMEMIU)), together with coPI Dr. Javier Gil Quintana. https://uned-smemiu.es/
She also participates in other referential research groups such as:
- Grupo de Investigación en Comunicación e Investigación Digital (GICID), PI  Carmen Marta Lazo, from the University of Zaragoza. https://gicid.unizar.es/
- Grupo de Investigación en Educación y Cultura Audio-Visual (ECAV), PI  Carlos Escaño González, from the University of Seville. https://grupos.us.es/ecav/
The most important research projects she has coordinated as principal investigator are:
- European Project "Elearning, Communication and Open-data: Massive Mobile, Ubiquitous and Open Learning" (ECO) - Ref.: 621127 - European Commission. ICT Policy Support Programme as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP).
- European Project "YouCheck! - AGREEMENT NUMBER - LC-01244282 - European Commission.
- Project "Intelligent and Accessible Virtual Education. Integrated Intelligent Virtual Intelligent Spaces" (EVIA) - EIN2020-112460 - Ministry of Science and Innovation - State Research Agency
- European project "YouVerify!" - AGREEMENT NUMBER - LC-01648381 - European Commission

Professional experience

She has taught several subjects in the Faculty of Education of the UNED since her incorporation, being currently teaching the subjects: "Communication and Education" of first year in the degrees of Pedagogy and Social Education, "Specific Didactics in Non-Formal Contexts" in fourth year of the degree of Social Education and "Virtual Scenarios for Participation" of the Master's Degree in Communication and Education.
She is also a faculty member  of the UNED and has been part of the Faculty Board and various committees, both of the department and the faculty itself.
Finally, he has collaborated with other foreign universities in various teaching positions.

Educational management experience

The most important positions in educational management have been:
- Assistant Vice Rector for Lifelong Learning (07/16/2013 - 05/11/2017).
- Coordinator of Institutional Courses (15/07/2011 - 15/07/2013).
- Director of the Paulo Freire Chair of Educommunication by agreement between MESCYT and UNED (since 01/12/2020).

Carmen Marta-Lazo, Universidad de Zaragoza, España

Doctor in Journalism, with specialized training in pedagogy for university teaching. She has over twenty years of experience in various universities (UCM, UFV, UNED, USJ, and UNIZAR) and has been a visiting professor at U. Porto and U. do Minho (Portugal), U. de Bordeaux, CCI de Nîmes (France), and U. Macerata (Italy), among others. She has taught over seventy subjects, both in undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as in master's and doctoral programs, consistently receiving positive evaluations and notable ratings in recent years across all subjects. She has developed several manuals for various subjects, published by prestigious publishers (Springer, McGraw Hill, Pearson, Fragua, Tirant lo Blanc, UOC Press, etc.) and other teaching materials for digital platforms. She has participated in over twenty projects focused on teaching innovation. She has supervised fifteen doctoral theses in recent years and is currently overseeing five more. She has tutored over four hundred students in curricular and extracurricular internships in media companies, agencies, and communication outlets. Currently, she is the Director of Extraordinary Courses at the University of Zaragoza and the UP of Journalism and Audiovisual Communication and Advertising. She has held various positions in university management: Director of the Faculty of Communication at USJ, Coordinator of the Journalism Degree at UZ, Chair of the Quality Evaluation Committee for Journalism, Representative of UZ on the Audiovisual and Multimedia Committee of CRUE, Director of Radio Unizar, and Chair of the Research Committee of ARU. She participated in EEES curriculum planning at USJ, in the Docentia Program, and is an evaluator of verification and accreditation programs for the Madri+D Foundation. Principal Investigator of the Research Group on Communication and Digital Information (GICID) at the University of Zaragoza, recognized as a reference group, funded by the Government of Aragón and the European Social Fund, with code S29-20R, established in the 2012 call and still active today. Previously, she was the Principal Investigator of the Research Group on Educommunication (GIEC) at USJ, recognized by DGA, code S-82 (2009-Sept. 2012). Additionally, she has participated in other research groups at various universities. Among her achievements, she has directed eight editions of the International Congress on Research in Communication and Digital Information. She has coordinated special issues in indexed journals (Icono 14, no. 14, 2010; Revista Mediterránea, 4 and 5, 2012 and 2013; Revista F@ro, 2016; Learning Styles, 2020) and several books with publishers indexed in SPI in the communication field. She was the Principal Investigator of the state program project "Communication in media and social networks for the integration of migrants" (EIN2020-112426) (2020-2022) and was the Principal Investigator for UZ in the European project "ECO: Elearning, Communication, and Open-data" (2013-2017). She has participated in projects: “Audiovisual communication competence in a digital environment…” (2011-2014) and "The generational digital divide" (2014-2016), etc. Member of SEP; Alfamed; RAIC; AE-IC; Action Cost; OCENDI; Icono 14, among other scientific societies and the Executive Board of the Professional Association and the Association of Journalists of Aragón, representing the University of Zaragoza in the Audiovisual Cluster of Aragón. Member of the Scientific Committee of indexed journals. Her career has been awarded: Santander Bank Chair (2012); Film and Health from the Government of Aragón (2016); Honorary Member Mention from the Comunicar Group (2016); II Award for Innovation Experiences from the Social Council of UZ (2018), TRICLAB (2019), etc. She has conducted research stays at ININCO (Venezuela), UNAD (Colombia), Sorbonne University Paris 3 (France), and Harvard Extension School (USA), among others. Among her more than 200 scientific publications, she has an H INDEX = 30 and an i10 index of 78; a total of 3203 citations in recent years (on Google Scholar, as of January 4, 2022), with an average of 386 citations/year over the last five years; 17 publications in JCR (6 H index); 39 in Scopus (7 H index); 106 articles in indexed journals in Dialnet, 104 chapters, and 21 books (8 monographs and 13 coordinated books).

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Published

2026-07-30

How to Cite

Bunbury, E., Osuna-Acedo, S., & Marta-Lazo, C. (2026). Effectiveness of NLP in Teaching English as an L2: A Systematic and Bibliometric Review. Prisma Social Journal, (54), 290–308. https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.6047

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