I am a Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, & Cultures at Michigan State University and the Director of the MSU Second Language Studies Ph.D. Program. I also teach in the Master of Arts in TESOL Program. I am an affiliate with the Master of Arts in Foreign Language Teaching (MAFLT) Program. I am co-editor of the journal Language Testing, with Luke Harding (Lancaster University, UK).
I am currently seeking a new Ph.D. advisee for Fall 2023. Please see the SLS Admissions page for more information, including fliers with information about the doctoral positions I and my colleagues are recruiting for specifically (see my flyer here). If you have questions about applying to the Second Language Studies Ph.D. Program, please email me. I can talk to you about the Program, and give you tips on applying. As Program Director, I can provide GRE waivers to those who need them, and can offer advice on the English language testing required by Michigan State University and the Program. I’m here to help! I will host an SLS Ph.D. Program Informational Webinar on Friday, October 28, 2022 at 12 noon Eastern, the third Webinar on the Program so far this fall. Join if you can. Register here.
My primary area of research is second and foreign language testing, though I research other issues in second language acquisition (SLA). As an applied linguist, I investigate language problems or issues (especially those tied to language assessment), and then I try to solve them, or at least I try to suggest ways in which they can be solved.
Right now I am investigating the background characteristics of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the state of Michigan who have been learning English the schools for six or more years. My graduate student Melody Wenyue Ma, SLS alum Xiaowan Zhang, and I are using data from the Michigan Department of Education in Lansing to investigate theories related to how English language learners develop their English reading and language arts skills while maintaining their home language(s). We are actively pursuing funding for our research, and are publishing papers along the way.
In my free time I like to jog on the MSU campus, read newspapers, cook, and hang out in the Greater Lansing area with my family.
I welcome you to contact me for information about studying applied linguistics, TESOL, or Second Language Studies at MSU. Come visit! Campus is gorgeous. And the friends and colleagues are amazing.