Individual Differences in Language Education: An International Journal

With the rapid advancement of teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) and research in second language acquisition (SLA), English has become one of the most sought-after languages to learn. In this regard, one of the fundamental aspects of second language (L2) teaching and learning is individual difference factors (IDs), as they impact the learning process and learning outcomes. However, the relationship between teaching/learning EFL and IDs has remained largely unexplored. Therefore, this scoping review is undertaken to expand our understanding of this area of investigation by examining the breadth of available literature on the topic. We aim to identify key concepts, sources of evidence, strengths, weaknesses, and research gaps that contribute to informing practice in the field, focusing on Iraqi Kurdistan as the target EFL context. Similar to prior research, this study carried out a five-stage scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Four databases, namely Web of Science (WOS), APA PsycNet, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Google Scholar, were used for scoping data. Ten studies were included in the final analysis after a full review. The main findings suggest a positive relationship between learning EFL and IDs with varying degrees. At the same time, the available data reveals that although EFL learners face serious challenges in the process of learning EFL, these challenges can be turned into opportunities by considering IDs. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research.