Special Announcement

23 Apr 2025

The Office of the Department of English and Communication has moved to 9/F, PolyU Hung Hom Bay Campus, 8 Hung Lok Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong w.e.f. 14 April 2025.

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Academic Staff

Prof. Christy Xuyan Qiu

Prof. Christy Xuyan Qiu

Assistant Professor

ORCID ID
Research Gate

Research Overview

Currently, I am engaged in research on second language (L2) teaching and learning, focusing on three main questions. First, I investigate what knowledge L2 learners should acquire at different proficiency levels, exploring the rhetorical and linguistic features of various academic genres through corpus-based approaches. Second, I examine effective methods for teaching this knowledge, with a particular interest in task-based language teaching and learning. I have conducted experimental and classroom-based studies on how teachers can design and implement oral tasks to engage L2 learners in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Third, I explore how English language education can prepare students of English as a second or foreign language to learn academic content in English. This line of inquiry connects to English-medium instruction (EMI) research, particularly in Chinese contexts, where my work seeks to identify the needs of EMI students and teachers and to provide practical recommendations for how English language teachers can better prepare their students for EMI courses.


Doctoral supervision

I am interested in supervising PhD research related to second language teaching and learning, with a particular focus on task-based language teaching, technology-assisted language teaching, English-medium instruction, and English for academic purposes. Please feel free to reach out via email (xuyan.qiu@polyu.edu.hk) to discuss potential research topics.

Education and Academic Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy in English Language Education, The University of Hong Kong
  • Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Lancaster University
  • Bachelor of Arts in English & Bachelor of Management in Accounting, Chongqing University

Academic and Professional Experience

    • Assistant Professor, Department of English and Communication, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2022.7-present)
    • Assistant Professor, School of Education and Languages, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (2022.2-2022.7)
    • Research Assistant Professor, School of Education and Languages, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (2019.8-2022.1)
    • Lecturer, School of Foreign Languages, South China University of Technology (2017.9-2018.8)

Teaching Areas

  • Second language learning
  • Second language teaching
  • Publicizing research through presentations and publications
 

Research Interests

  • Second language teaching and learning
  • Task-based language teaching
  • English for academic purposes
  • English-medium instruction

Research Output

  1. Qiu, X., Lo, Y. Y., Ge, H., & Bui, G. (forthcoming). Second language learner engagement in computer-mediated interactive oral tasks. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching. doi: 10.14746/ssllt.41317
  2. Qiu, X. (forthcoming). Communicative task engagement in second language learning and teaching: A scoping review. The Language Learning Journal. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2025.2502733
  3. Qiu, X., Lopez-Ozieblo, R., & Yao, X. (forthcoming). ELT student teachers’ acceptance and knowledge base of integrating Virtual Reality into task-based contexts. RELC Journal. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882241292088
  4. Qiu, X., Ge, H., & Cai, J. (forthcoming). An exploratory study on second language learner engagement in different types of interactive tasks in video-chat and text-chat communication. IRAL-International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2024-0096
  5. Qiu, X., & Bui, G. (forthcoming). Pre-task planning effects on learner engagement in face-to-face and synchronous computer-mediated communication. Language Teaching Research. doi: 10.1177/13621688221135280
  6. Chu, E. Y. W., & Qiu, X. (forthcoming). Effects of immersion on young learners’ proficiency in Hong Kong. Cogent Education. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2533694
  7. Yuan, R., & Qiu, X. (forthcoming). English-medium instruction (EMI) teachers’ lived experiences and continuing development in multilingual and multicultural contexts: An editorial. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2409426
  8. Xu, J., Qiu, X., & Yang, L. (2025). Unraveling the dynamics of English communicative motivation and self-efficacy through task-supported language teaching: A latent growth modeling perspective. IRAL-International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 63(1), 367-389. doi: 10.1515/iral-2023-0038
  9. Yuan, R., Qiu, X., Wang, C., & Zhang, T. (2025). Students’ attitudes toward language learning and use in English-medium instruction (EMI) environments: a mixed methods study. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 46(2), 244-261. doi: 10.1080/01434632.2023.2176506
  10. Qiu, X. (2024). Revisiting the Cognition Hypothesis: The impact of task complexity on L2 learner engagement in task performance in computer-mediated and face-to-face communication. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 37(7), 2028-2050. doi: 10.1080/09588221.2022.2142245
  11. Qiu, X., Zhang, T., & Dong, S. (2024). Self-regulated strategy instruction: Insights from ESP teachers at a Chinese university and vocational college. System, 120, 103188. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103188
  12. Xu, J., & Qiu, X. (2024). Interactive listening tasks in the English as a foreign language classroom: A longitudinal study of listener and speaker engagement. RELC Journal, 55(1), 29-45. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211061628
  13. Yuan, R., Li, M., Peng, J., & Qiu, X. (2024). English-medium instruction (EMI) teachers as ‘curriculum markers’ in Chinese higher education: A textual analysis. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(7), 2635-2650. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2061268
  14. Zhang, Y., Chu, S., Qiu, X., Zainuddin, Z., & Li, X. (2024). Facilitating undergraduates’ plagiarism-free academic writing practices in a blended learning scenario. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 61(1), 154-167. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2022.2102529
  15. Qiu, X., & Xu, J. (2023). Defining oracy: Second language listening and speaking motivation in higher education and the role of demographic factors. Psychological Reports, 126(1), 332-360. doi: 10.1177/00332941211054775
  16. Qiu, X., Tsang, A., & Fung, D. (2023). Young EFL emergent writers: An investigation into vocabulary and textual features of high and low achievers’ writing. Journal of Asia TEFL, 20(4), 904-915.
  17. Xu, J., & Qiu, X. (2023). Study abroad experiences count: Motivational profiles of EFL listeners and its impact on top-down and bottom-up processing. Applied Linguistics Review, 14(1), 145-172. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2020-0037.
  18. Lo, Y. Y., Fung, D., & Qiu, X. (2023). Assessing content knowledge through L2: Mediating role of language of testing on students’ performance. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 44(10), 1013-1028. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1854274
  19. Qiu, X., & Xu, J. (2022). Listening should be done communicatively: Do task-supported language teaching and post-task self-reflection facilitate the development of L2 listening proficiency? System, 109, 102897. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2022.102897
  20. Qiu, X., & Bui, G. (2022). “We are responsive on Zoom, but…”: L2 learners’ perceptions of and attitudes towards speaking tasks in the physical and virtual classroom settings. International Journal of Computer-assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 12(2), 1-12. doi: 10.4018/IJCALLT.291535
  21. Qiu, X., & Cheng, H. (2022). The effects of task types on L2 oral production and learner engagement. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 60(4), 1063-1088. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2020-0128.
  22. Qiu, X., Lo, Y. Y., & Teng, X. S. (2022). Development of L2 disciplinary literacy: A multidimensional analysis. System, 110, 102907. doi: 10.1016/j.system.2022.102907
  23. Qiu, X., & Fang, C. (2022). Creating an effective English-medium Instruction (EMI) classroom: Chinese undergraduate students’ perceptions of EL1 and EL2 content teachers and their experiences. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(2), 641-655. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1707769
  24. Qiu, X. (2022). Picture or non-picture? The influence of narrative task types on lower- and higher-proficiency EFL learners’ oral production. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 60(2), 383-409. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2017-0094.
  25. Jiang, F., & Qiu, X. (2022). Communicating disciplinary knowledge to a wide audience in 3MT presentations: How students engage with popularization of science. Discourse Studies. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/14614456211037438
  26. Jiang, F., & Qiu, X. (2022). “These findings are very astonishing”: Hyping of disciplinary research in 3MT presentations and thesis abstracts. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 42(3-4), 300-322. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07268602.2023.2180320
  27. Xu, J., & Qiu, X. (2022). Second language psychological speaking and listening needs: Scale development, symbiosis, and demographic differences. Studies in Second Language Teaching and Learning, 12(3), 483-507.
  28. Xu, Y., & Qiu, X. (2022). Necessary but problematic: Chinese university English teachers’ perceptions and practices of assessing class participation. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(7), 841-858. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080.13562517.2020.1747424.
  29. Xu, Y., & Qiu, X. (2022). Online assessment practice and teacher assessment literacy: A qualitative study of college English teachers in China. Foreign Language Education in China, 3, 58-65.
  30. Qiu, X., & Jiang, F. (2021). Stance and engagement in 3MT presentations: How students communicate disciplinary knowledge to a wide audience. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 51, 100976. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2021.100976
  31. Hu, J., Gao, X., & Qiu, X. (2021). Lexical coverage and readability of science textbooks for English-medium instruction secondary schools in Hong Kong. Sage Open, 11(1), 1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211001867
  32. Qiu, X., & Lee, M. K. (2020). Regulated learning and self-efficacy beliefs in peer collaborative writing: An exploratory study of L2 learners’ written products, task discussions, and self-reports. System, 93, 102312. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102312
  33. Qiu, X. (2020). Functions of oral monologic tasks: Effects of topic familiarity on L2 speaking performance. Language Teaching Research, 24(6), 745-764. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168819829021
  34. Qiu, X., & Ma, X. (2019). Disciplinary enculturation and authorial stance features among master’s dissertations, doctoral theses, and research articles. Ibérica, 38, 327-348. http://www.revistaiberica.org/index.php/iberica/article/view/103
  35. Qiu, X., & Lo, Y. Y. (2017). Content familiarity, task repetition and Chinese EFL learners’ engagement in second language use. Language Teaching Research, 21(6), 681-698. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168816684368
  1. Yuan, R., Qiu, X., & Zhang, T. (2025). Probing EMI teachers’ psychological experiences in Chinese higher education: A mixed methods research. In D. Lasagabaster, A. Fernandez-Costales, & F. L. Gonzalez-Mjico (Eds.), The affective dimension in English-medium instruction in higher education (pp. 49-69). Multilingual Matters.
  2. Qiu, X., & Hu, G. (2024 online). Language in popular science communication. In H. Nesi, & P. Milin (Eds.), International encyclopedia of language and linguistics (3rd Edition). Elsevier. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00100-9
  3. Qiu, X., Yuan, R., & Zhang, T. (2024). Questionnaire development and analysis in EMI research. In S. M. Curle & J. Pun (Eds.), Researching English medium instruction: Quantitative methods for students and researchers (pp. 134-149). Cambridge University Press.
  4. Yuan, R., & Qiu, X. (2023). Understanding university EMI teachers’ language beliefs and use in content classrooms: A Chinese study. In Sah, P. K., & Fang, F. (Eds.), English Medium Instruction in Asian universities: Unsettling critical edges (pp. 123-138). Routledge.
  1. Qiu, X. (2015). The use of oral narrative tasks in second language learning: does a familiar topic make a difference? In J. Angouri, T. Harrison, S. Schnurr and S. Wharton (Eds), Proceedings of the 47th Annual Meeting of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (pp. 141-154). Scitsiugnil: Conventry, UK.
  1. Qiu. X. (2018). Review of Peer interaction and second language learning: pedagogical potential and research agenda. Applied Linguistics, 39(2), 250-253. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amx024.
  2. Qiu, X., & Cheng, H. (2020). Review of English-Medium instruction in Chinese universities. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 23(10), 1303-1306. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1454044
  1. Qiu, X., & Yuan, R. (Eds.) (2025). English-medium instruction pedagogy in disciplinary classrooms. Routledge.

Others

 

  • 2025-2026
    Effects of cognitive and pragmatic task factors on Hong Kong English learners’ linguistic and pragmatic performance on face-to-face and computer-mediated oral tasks
    Hong Kong Research Grant Council General Research Fund
    Principal Investigator

  • 2025-2026
    Technology-enhanced second language teaching and learning: A professional development programme for English language teachers
    Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee (DLTC) Project
    Principal Investigator

  • 2024-2025
    Cultivating English language and digital literacies for future leaders
    Off-school Advanced Learning Programmes for Gifted Students, Gifted Education Fund, The Education Bureau, HKSAR
    Programme Leader

  •

    2023-2025
    Exploring task-based second language assessment in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication: An exploratory study
     Start-up Fund for New Recruits
     Principal Investigator

  •

    2023-2025
    Second language learner engagement in virtual reality interactive tasks: A needs analysis
     Departmental Learning and Teaching Committee (DLTC) Project
     Principal Investigator

  •

    2023-2024
    A multimodal genre analysis of thesis presentations
     Departmental General Research Fund
     Principal Investigator

  •

    2022-2023
    Learner engagement in listening-and-speaking tasks in the face-to-face and the synchronous computer-mediated communication conditions
     Hong Kong Research Grant Council Faculty Development Scheme
     Principal Investigator: 2022.01-2022.07; Co-Investigator: 2022.07-2023.12

  •

    2021-2022

    The role of second language individual learner differences in task-based language teaching

    R&D Fund by Hong Kong Metropolitan University

    Principal Investigator

  • 2020-2021 
    Learner engagement and motivation in task-based language teaching: An exploratory study of English learners in Hong Kong 

    R&D Fund by The Open University of Hong Kong 

    Principal Investigator

Esteem Measures

 

  • Member, Hong Kong Association for Applied Linguistics

 

2024-present Editorial board member, Journal of English for Academic Purposes
2023-present  Editorial board member, International Journal of Applied Linguistics
  • Katie Shu Sui Pui Charitable Trust – Outstanding Research Publication Award (Silver Prize)
    Hong Kong Metropolitan University

 

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