The special interest group (SIG) of Psychology of TBLT is to address the role of learner psychology in TBLT. The SIG is expected to integrate and extend language learner psychology research and TBLT research, and to create opportunities for collaboration between researchers and practitioners in language education.
Members of the leadership team:
Chair : Chengchen Li
Vice Chairs :
Scott Aubrey (Public relations officer)
Xiaojun Lu (SIG’s secretary)
Student Coordinator : Shiyue Wei
Consultants:
Craig Lambert
Laura Gurzynski-Weiss
Shaofeng Li
Andrea Revesz
Contact us:
Scott Aubrey (Public relations officer; scaubrey@cuhk.edu.hk)
Chengchen Li (SIG chair; lichengchen@hust.edu.cn)
Xiaojun Lu (SIG’s secretary; xiaojun.lu@soton.ac.uk)
Shiyue Wei (Student coordinator; weishiyuew@163.com)
1. Zoom-based online events (September 2023 – September 2025):
1) Meeting early researchers: Half-yearly Zoom meeting where we can talk about questions early researchers have on research issues – such as methods to use, research design, or other less formal issues. (1 hour)
2) Early researcher colloquium: Half-yearly Zoom meeting where early researchers share their ongoing projects and ask for comments. (1-1.5 hours)
3) Meeting the experts: Half-yearly Zoom meeting where we interview experts in this field. (1 hour)
4) Meeting the editors: Annual Zoom meeting where we interview and interact with editors, asking questions and seeking suggestions for research in this field.
5) Research-Practice Demonstration: Annual Zoom-based event where researchers/practitioners present how research and practice can be bridged and facilitate each other.
2. Newsletter
1) Hot off the press: Promotion of the publications of our SIG members.
2) Annual promotion of the publications of our SIG members.
Bios of the leadership team:
Chengchen Li (Chair)
Chengchen Li is Associate Professor of applied linguistics at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China as well as an honorary research fellow at the Centre for Applied Linguistics, Institute of Education, University College London, UK. Her research interests include positive psychology, second language acquisition, L2 writing, and task-based language teaching (TBLT). She has published widely on individual difference factors, learner emotions in particular, in journals including Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and System. She is the author of A Positive Psychology Perspective on Chinese EFL Students’ Emotional Intelligence and Classroom Emotions (2020). She is Editor of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (2021-) and Associate Editor of the Journal of Multilingualism and Multicultural Development (2023-). She has been the (co)guest editor of six special issues for journals including System, Journal of Multilingualism and Multicultural Development, and Modern Foreign Languages. She is Vice President of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL) (2022-). She is chair of Psychology of TBLT SIG at IAPLL (2023-). She was a co-vice-chair of the EMOTION SIG at IAPLL (2022-2023).
Scott Aubrey (Vice chair)
Scott Aubrey is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His main research areas include second language motivation, learner engagement, and task-based language teaching. He is particularly interested in the intersection of learner psychology and instructed second language acquisition, with much of his research attempting to understand more deeply the experience of learners during second language task performances. Scott’s publications have appeared in such journals as ELT Journal, Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, System, and TESOL Quarterly. He has recently co-edited a book (with Craig Lambert and Gavin Bui) entitled The Role of the Learner in Task-Based Language Teaching: Theory and Research Methods (2023, Routledge).
Xiaojun Lu (Vice chair)
Xiaojun Lu is Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, University of Southampton. Her research interests include second language acquisition, second language writing, and task-based language teaching and learning. She also holds an interest in combining qualitative (e.g., stimulated recall) and quantitative methods (keystroke-logging, eye-tracking) to investigate second language writing processes. Currently, she is involved in research projects examining the influence of individual differences and task manipulation on second language writing performance and development. Her work has appeared in journals including Journal of Second Language Writing, Language Learning, Second Language Research, and System. She is an editorial board member of Journal of Second Language Writing.
Shiyue Wei (Student coordinator)
Shiyue Wei is an M.A. student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China. Her research interests include second language acquisition, positive psychology, and task-based language teaching and learning.