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Faculty Spotlight: Kevin Wong, PhD


Kevin Wong HeadshotKevin Wong, PhD, Chair of the MA in TESOL program and Assistant Professor of Education at GSEP, whose research with Dr. Ben Moorhouse was published in System, a top-tier international journal devoted to the applications of educational technology and applied linguistics to problems of foreign language teaching and learning, and Asia Pacific Journal of Education, an international journal focused on education policy, curriculum and pedagogy, and the everyday lives and practices of school educators and students.

“Digital competence and online language teaching: Hong Kong language teacher practices in primary and secondary classrooms” - SYSTEM

In the System journal, Dr. Wong and Dr. Moorhouse’s research explores the digital competence of primary and secondary language teachers, and centers teacher voices as they share about challenges and adaptations experienced during remote instruction.

Article Highlights:

  • The current study examines the digital competence of primary and secondary school language teachers in Hong Kong.
  • The study uses a Digital Competencies Framework to understand digital resources, pedagogy, assessments and learners online.
  • Teachers engaged in strategic decision-making about synchronous and asynchronous technologies for instruction.
  • Teachers also reconsidered the purpose and process of lesson preparation, student engagement and assessments.
  • Implications for equipping teachers with digital competence through teacher training and ongoing development are discussed.

Read the full article here.

*The article is free to read and download before 11/19/21

“The COVID-19 Pandemic as a catalyst for teacher pedagogical and technological innovation and development: Teacher’s perspectives” - Asia Pacific Journal of Education

In the Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Dr. Wong and Dr. Moorhouse explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for teacher innovation and development. The authors draw from a mixed-methods study with K-12 educators in Hong Kong to explore (1) teacher readiness with using digital technologies before the pandemic, (2) teacher innovation and professional development throughout the pandemic, and (3) teacher reflections on the impact of the pandemic on their pedagogical and technological development. The authors propose a theoretical model for exploring classroom innovation during times of crisis and provide rich examples of innovation adopted by teachers during this period of radical change.

Read the full article here.

Dr. Wong is Chair of the MA in TESOL program at GSEP and conducts research in the field of TESOL. Learn more about our Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).