Dr Renia Lopez Awarded Research-Stay at the University of Alcalá, Spain

Dr Renia Lopez, our Associate Professor, has been awarded a one-month study-stay at the University of Alcalá, Spain, under their prestigious programme Giner de los Ríos, established in 2015. Under this programme, renowned scholars are invited to work with Alcalá’s researchers to explore new topics and develop international co-operations. This residency will also serve to strengthen existing cooperation. Dr Lopez has been working on with scholars and students at the Department of Philology, Communication and Documentation of the University of Alcalá for a few years now. With their help, she has led a project studying the benefits of online learning of Spanish as a foreign language when the input is presented in different modalities (video, audio or text). A second project, still ongoing, evaluates the benefits of online teaching when the teacher's grammatical explanations are presented with or without gestures. Among the new co-operations Dr Lopez will explore is a study on the affective elements of the foreign language teaching and learning process. Dr Lopez will also be giving talks to students and staff at Alcalá as well as exploring the opportunities for further collaborations and possible exchanges between the University of Alcalá and PolyU. The first University of Alcalá was founded in 1499, becoming one of Spain’s most prestigious universities during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was moved to Madrid, and renamed Madrid Complutense University, reopening a campus in Alcalá in 1975 that eventually became an independent public university. Today, Alcalá has about 28,000 students a year and just over 2,000 teachers on two campuses. Among their degrees, they offer English studies and Modern Languages and Translation.

New joint article on the influence of metaphor in news on foreign-policy support

Our Professor Kathleen Ahrens is co-author of this new joint paper published by the International Journal of Communication of the USC Annenberg Press under the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The paper discussed the use of three between-subjects experiments to evaluate the influence of metaphor in news about foreign policies.  The results demonstrate that novel metaphors are helpful to readers processing texts about new topics as they draw attention to the language with their novelty, but remain familiar enough to generate positive affect.  More information of the article can be found on the website HERE.  

New book on navigating the realities of metaphor and psychotherapy research

This new short-form book published by the Cambridge University Press, written by our Professor Dennis Tay, discusses how to navigate the practical realities of applied metaphor research, using psychotherapy as an example. The three foundational components of psychotherapy - the therapist, the client, and the interactional setting - are discussed in turn, covering issues like ethically engaging therapists in research design and data analysis, dealing with underexplored variabilities in client responses, and managing the inherent tension between spontaneity and control in an interactional setting like psychotherapy. This book also offers some thoughts on how the lessons are transferable to other research contexts. More information about the book can be found on the website HERE.

Awardees for The Stephen Evans Best Thesis Award and Best Paper Award 2022

Dr Carol Yu, our PhD Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellow, received The Stephen Evans Best Thesis Award 2022. Her thesis's title is "Communication and Interpersonal Dynamics in Virtual Team Meetings: An Applied Linguistic Perspective". Our PhD student, Amy HAN, received The Stephen Evans Best Paper Award 2022. Her paper's title is "A Mixed-Method Comparison of Therapist and Client Language across Four Therapeutic Approaches". More about The Stephen Evans Awards can be found on the website HERE.

BA Graduate Employment Facts 2021

According to the 2021 PolyU Graduate Employment Survey, the average starting salary of graduates from our BA in English Studies for the Professions (BAESP) programme was HK$18,529, which is the highest among the three academic departments in the Faculty of Humanities. In addition, 93% of our graduates were employed full-time within their year of graduation or decided to pursue further studies. The Survey reported that our graduates were able to find jobs in over 10 employment sectors and the top 3 are: Education, Business Services/Real Estate, and Financial Institution/Insurance. This clearly shows they have a wide range of career paths. Our BA programme (the BAESP was retitled to the BA in English and Applied Linguistics (BAEAL) with September 2021 admissions) helps prepare students to become exemplary English language professionals ready for the demands of the 21st century. Our graduates are trained to be proficient and confident communicators and users of English, as preferred by many potential employers! >> Download leaflet

New book on Covid-19 and Speech-Language Pathology

This new book, edited by our Prof. Louise Cummings, examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the caseloads and clinical practice of speech-language pathologists. The volume synthesises existing data on the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19 on the communication, swallowing, and language skills of individuals with COVID infection. Featuring perspectives of scholars and practitioners from around the globe, the book examines the ways in which clinicians have had to modify their working practices to prioritise patient and clinician safety, including the significant increase in the use of telepractice during the pandemic. The volume also reflects on changes in training and education which have seen educators in the field redesign their clinical practicum in order to best prepare students for professional practice in an age of COVID-19 and beyond, as the field continues to grapple with the long-term effects of the pandemic. More information about the book can be found on the website HERE, and get 20% off for purchase with code ASM09.

Dr Azar Tajabadi awarded TESOL Award for Distinguished Research 2021

Dr Azar Tajabadi, our Postdoctoral Fellow, was awarded the TESOL Award for Distinguished Research 2021. The TESOL Award for Excellence in Research has been given by the TESOL International Association since 2005 for empirical research that advances or generates new knowledge about English language teaching and learning policies, programmes, or practices.   This award was presented to Dr Tajabadi at the TESOL International Convention 2021, which was held virtually, and the physical award was sent to her in Hong Kong afterwards. Our head Prof. Eric Friginal celebrates this achievement with her.   Azar expressed that being the 2021 awardee for her paper published in Language Teaching Research was a thrilling and humbling experience that brought about a surge of motivation and inspiration for pursuing research in this field.

Unveiling our new logo wall in the new academic year

Our current head Prof. Eric Friginal (right) and former head Prof. Hans Ladegaard celebrate the joy of unveiling our new logo wall together. We welcome our students and alumni to come and take photos to share our new look with their friends!

PolyU Summer Programme 2022: English Around You

We are happy to see about 50 Secondary 4 to 5 students enjoyed our 3 hands-on workshops under the "English Around You" theme at the PolyU Summer Programme 2022 on 16 August! The workshops helped participating students understand how English is used in different situations. They also took part in activities and discussion to learn practical communication skills that can be applied in their everyday lives. We hope they felt inspired to learn more about English and Communication! Know more about our BA in English and Applied Linguistics (BAEAL)

Dr Phoebe Lin Awarded JSPS Invitational Fellowship for Research in Japan

Dr Phoebe Lin, our Assistant Professor, has been awarded an Invitational Fellowship for Research in Japan. The Invitational Fellowships, sponsored by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), provide overseas researchers who have an excellent record of research achievements with an opportunity to conduct collaborative research, discussions, and opinion exchanges with researchers in Japan. Dr Lin will be developing an automatic speech scoring system for English learners in collaboration with Dr Keiko Tsuchiya (Yokohama City University), Dr Alex Gillmore (University of Tokyo) and Dr Neil Millar (University of Tsukuba). She will also be giving public talks and workshops at these three universities in the first semester of 2022/2023.