Pepperdine GSEP Faculty Member Kevin Wong Receives Outstanding Emerging Teacher Educator Award
The Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) at Pepperdine University is proud to announce that Kevin M. Wong, Associate Professor of Education and Program Chair for the MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), received the 2024 Outstanding Emerging Teacher Educator Award from the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) on Friday, October 18, at CCTE’s annual conference in San Diego. This esteemed award honors Wong’s exceptional work in teaching, research, and service within the field of teacher education.
Wong was chosen for his impactful contributions to the field, including his commitment to supporting teacher candidates in their process of “learning and unlearning” to challenge systemic inequities in language education. His leadership within the MA in TESOL program at GSEP and his role on the TPE 7 literacy subcommittee for the MA in Teaching program at Pepperdine demonstrate his steadfast dedication to teacher education. Additionally, Wong serves as an advisor for PBS Kids, where his expertise in literacy and teaching contribute to advancing educational media for language learning.
“I wholeheartedly believe in teacher education and am humbled to receive this award and recognition from the California Council on Teacher Education,” Wong said. “I am grateful to GSEP for providing me with the platform to serve teacher candidates through teaching, research, and service. I also want to express my appreciation to current and former teacher candidates for the privilege of walking alongside them on their journeys to becoming educators.”
Wong’s diverse background, including his biracial and multilingual upbringing in Hong Kong, shapes his academic focus on bilingual education. His recent research spans topics such as Chinese-English dual-language programs and the impact of educational media on bilingual vocabulary acquisition. His work is featured in prominent journals, including the Journal of Educational Psychology and TESOL Journal, and is recognized for its balance between traditional empirical, practitioner-oriented, and media-based applications.