Keynote Speeches

Jean-Marc Dewaele

University College London; University of London

Jean-Marc Dewaele is Honorary Professor at University College London and is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism at Birkbeck, University of London. He has published and edited 10 books, and more than 350 papers and chapters on emotion and individual differences in multilingualism and foreign language learning. He is former president of the International Association of Multilingualism, the European Second Language Association and the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning. He is General Editor of the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. He won the Equality and Diversity Research Award from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2013), the Robert Gardner Award from the International Association of Language and Social Psychology (2016) and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the European Second Language Association (2022). He was ranked as the 3th most influential researcher in the subfield Language and Linguistics in the Stanford rankings 2024.

Chengchen Li

Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Dr. Chengchen Li is an Associate Professor of applied linguistics at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, as well as an honorary research fellow at the Institute of Education, University College London, UK. Her research interests include positive psychology, L2 writing, task-based language teaching, and bilingualism and cognition. She has published widely in journals, including Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 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 Associate Editor of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching and the Journal of Multilingualism and Multicultural Development. She has been the (co)guest editor of six special issues for journals, including System, Learning and Individual Differences, and Modern Foreign Languages. She is Vice President of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL). She is the founder and chair of Psychology of TBLT Special Interest Group at IAPLL. 

Shaofeng Li

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Shaofeng Li is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he conducts research and teaches courses on second language acquisition and language pedagogy. He received a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from Michigan State University. Dr. Li has published on a wide range of topics including task-based language teaching and learning, corrective feedback, second language writing, research methods, meta-analysis, and cognitive and affective individual difference factors such as anxiety, motivation, language aptitude, and working memory. His publications constantly appear in leading journals in the field of applied linguistics, such as Applied Linguistics, Applied Psycholinguistics, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, TESOL Quarterly, among others. He is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, the first and only journal focusing exclusively on research methods in applied linguistics. He is also the book review editor of TESOL Quarterly, and the co-editor-in-chief of Digital Studies in Language and Literature. He is included in the Stanford University list of the world’s top 2% most influential scientists. His recent book projects include a monograph on task-based language teaching, an edited volume on individual difference factors in second language acquisition, and an edited volume on individual differences and task-based language teaching and learning. Dr. Li serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals and has given plenary and keynote speeches at various academic venues. He has held university positions in the U.S., New Zealand, and China.

Peter MacIntyre

Cape Breton University, Canada

Peter D. MacIntyre received his PhD. in psychology from the University of Western Ontario (now Western University) in 1992 with R. C. Gardner and is currently a professor of Psychology at Cape Breton University. The majority of Peter’s research examines the psychology of communication, with a particular emphasis on second language acquisition and communication. He has published over 150 articles and chapters. His books (co-authored or co-edited) include Capitalizing on Language Learners’ Individuality (2014), Motivational Dynamics (2015), Positive Psychology (2016), Innovative Practices in Language Teacher Education (2017), Optimizing Language Learners’ Nonverbal Behavior (2017), Research Driven Pedagogy (2020), Contemporary Language Motivation Theory (2020), and most recently Willingness to communicate, multilingualism and interactions in community contexts (2024).  

Sarah Mercer

The University of Graz

Sarah Mercer is Professor of Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Graz, Austria, where she is Head of ELT methodology. Her research interests include all aspects of the psychology surrounding the foreign language learning experience. She is the author, co-author and co-editor of several books in this area including, ‘Exploring Psychology for Language Teachers’ (Winner of the IH Ben Warren Prize), ‘Teacher Wellbeing’ (ELTon Finalist), Engaging Language Learners in Contemporary Classrooms (ELTon Finalist), and Compassion-based Language Education. She has also published over 150 book chapters and journal articles and given more than 100 keynotes and plenary talks. She has served as Principal Investigator on several funded research projects, has worked on the editorial board of various journals, was co-editor of the journal System for several years, is co-editor of Multilingual Matters’ Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching book series, is currently president of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL), is ambassador for IATEFL, and has served as a consultant on several international projects. In 2018, she was awarded the Robert C. Gardner Award for excellence in second language research by the International Association of Language and Social Psychology (IALSP). 

Mirosław Pawlak

Adam Mickiewicz University

University of Applied Sciences

Mirosław Pawlak is Professor of English in the English Department, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland, and Department of Research on Language and Communication, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences, Konin, Poland. His main areas of interest are form-focused instruction, corrective feedback, pronunciation teaching, classroom interaction, learner autonomy, learning strategies, motivation, willingness to communicate, emotions, in particular boredom, grit and study abroad. His most recent publications include Boredom in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Micro-Perspective (with Joanna Zawodniak and Mariusz Kruk, 2020, Springer), Exploring the Interface Between Individual Difference Variables and the Knowledge of Second language Grammar (2021, Springer Nature), Understanding Emotions in English Language Learning in Virtual Worlds (with Mariusz Kruk, 2022, Routledge), Individual Differences in Computer Assisted Language Learning Research (with Mariusz Kruk, 2022, Routledge), and Teachers reflecting on boredom in the language classroom (with Mariusz Kruk and Joanna Zawodniak, Equinox). He is Editor of the journal Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching and the book series Second Language Learning and Teaching, published by Springer. Professor Mirosław Pawlak has received numerous awards from Polish Minister of Higher Education and Science and Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University. He served as President of the Polish Association of Modern Languages in the years 2013-2016 and President of the International Federation of Language Teacher Associations (FIPLV) between 2017 and 2020.

Jian-E Peng

Shantou University

Jian-E Peng is a professor and the Vice Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Shantou University, China. She holds a PhD from the University of Sydney. Her research interests include learner motivation, computer-assisted language learning, multimodal discourse analysis, teacher development, and academic writing. Some of her publications include papers appearing in Language Learning, TESOL Quarterly, Computer Assisted Language Learning, System, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, ELT Journal, Linguistics and Education, The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, and RELC Journal. She also published two books entitled Willingness to communicate in the Chinese EFL university classroom: An ecological perspective (2014, Multilingual Matters) and Willingness to communicate in a second language (Cambridge University Press, 2025), a book in Chinese (2019, Sun Yat-sen University Press), and five invited book chapters. She was included in Stanford’s list of the World’s Top 2% scientists from 2020 through 2023 and Elsevier’s list of Highly Cited Chinese Researchers from 2020 through 2023.

Lawrence Jun Zhang

University of Auckland

Lawrence Jun Zhang (張軍), PhD, is a past Post-doctoral Fellow at the Department of Education, Oxford University, UK, and currently Professor of Applied Linguistics/TESOL and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, New Zealand. His major interests are in learner metacognition, the psychology of language learning and teaching, and teacher education, with particular reference to EFL reading/writing and ESP/EAP. He has published extensively along these lines in leading international journals, including Applied Linguistics, Applied Linguistics Review, Assessing Writing, Journal of Second Language Writing, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, System, TESOL Quarterly, among others. He was the sole recipient of the “Distinguished Research in TESOL Award” in 2011 for his article, “A dynamic metacognitive systems perspective on Chinese university EFL readers”, published in TESOL Quarterly, 44(2). He is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of System, serving on the editorial boards of seven international journals. In 2016 he was honoured with the recognition by the TESOL International Association (USA) with the “50@50” Award, which acknowledged “50 Outstanding Leaders” around the globe in the profession of TESOL at TESOL’s 50th anniversary celebration in Baltimore, Maryland. In recent years, he has been listed in the top 2% of Scientists in Linguistics/Applied Linguistics in the World by the Stanford University Academic Impact Rankings. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1025-1746 

Website: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/lj-zhang 

Workshops

Julia Goetze

The University of Wisconsin – Madison

Julia Goetze is an Assistant Professor of German and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Her research centers on the psychology of language teachers, with a specific focus on language teachers’ emotions and well-being. Dr. Goetze’s empirical work explores language teachers’ emotional complexity in the language classroom, examines the role and interaction of personal factors (e.g., emotion regulation capacity) and situational factors (e.g., class size) in shaping language teachers’ emotions and well-being, and traces dynamic changes in language teachers’ classroom emotions longitudinally. Her theoretical work probes the possible uses of psychological appraisal theories in language teacher emotion research, while her methodological work aims to advance the use of situated methodologies in psychology-oriented SLA research. Dr. Goetze’s work has been published in the Journal for the Psychology of Language Learning, Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, the Modern Language Journal, the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Language Teaching Research Quarterly, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition.

Shaofeng Li

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Shaofeng Li is Professor of Applied Linguistics at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he conducts research and teaches courses on second language acquisition and language pedagogy. He received a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from Michigan State University. Dr. Li has published on a wide range of topics including task-based language teaching and learning, corrective feedback, second language writing, research methods, meta-analysis, and cognitive and affective individual difference factors such as anxiety, motivation, language aptitude, and working memory. His publications constantly appear in leading journals in the field of applied linguistics, such as Applied Linguistics, Applied Psycholinguistics, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Language Teaching Research, Modern Language Journal, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, TESOL Quarterly, among others. He is the founding editor and editor-in-chief of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, the first and only journal focusing exclusively on research methods in applied linguistics. He is also the book review editor of TESOL Quarterly, and the co-editor-in-chief of Digital Studies in Language and Literature. He is included in the Stanford University list of the world’s top 2% most influential scientists. His recent book projects include a monograph on task-based language teaching, an edited volume on individual difference factors in second language acquisition, and an edited volume on individual differences and task-based language teaching and learning. Dr. Li serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals and has given plenary and keynote speeches at various academic venues. He has held university positions in the U.S., New Zealand, and China.

Nicola Lupi Morea

The University of Reading

Dr Nicola Lupi Morea has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and currently works as a Senior Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Reading, where he researches young language learners' L2 progression during primary education. Dr Lupi Morea’s research interests include multilingualism, teacher education, language education, and research methods in applied linguistics. Dr Lupi Morea has published papers on Q methodology in international journals (e.g., System, Research Methods in Applied Linguistics), mapping the applications of Q methodology in the field of applied linguistics and proposing a multi-method analytical framework for the analysis of Q-sort data in longitudinal and experimental research. Dr Lupi Morea has also conducted a number of workshops on Q methodology for postgraduate students and researchers.

Shantou City

Shantou City is part of the Chaoshan Region in the east of Guangdong Province, China. Once a 19th-century treaty port,

Shantou is a notable hometown of the overseas Chaoshan community, with over 50 million descendants spread across more than 100 countries and regions globally. Shantou has well-established cultural traditions and rich cultural heritage, such as Chaozhou opera, Chaozhou cuisine, Gongfu tea, and Chaoshan arts and crafts. Central to its heritage is “Qiaopi”, also known as Overseas Messenger of Integrity, referring to remittances and family letters sent back home by overseas Chinese over the past century. Qiaopi encapsulates the enduring entrepreneurial spirit and deep-rooted familial and national bonds of the older overseas Chinese generations. Currently, the Shantou Qiaopi Museum holds 78,000 physical items of Qiaopi, ranking first nationally. The Qiaopi archives were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2013, highlighting this remarkable cultural heritage on a global stage.