Prof. Melinda WHONG

Director

Email
lcmwhong@ust.hk
Telephone
2358-7878
Room
3380

I’m an academic with over 25 years of experience in education, from primary and secondary to university level. The experience of teaching in different settings across four different continents has informed my understanding and approach to pedagogy. My research has been guided by my desire to bridge theory and practice, as it relates to language teaching in particular.

Professional Interests

Academic Leadership and Senior Administration:

Before serving as Director of the Centre for Language Education, I held senior administrative roles including Deputy Head of School, and Department Chair. I have extensive experience of postgraduate programme development and international recruitment, and I have held responsibility for English for Academic Purposes provision as Pre-Sessional course director.

Professional Development Work

My interest in working with teachers has included involvement in outreach and engagement activity:

  • Meaning in Language Learning (MILL), https://millnetwork.org, Contributing member, Funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
  • Network for the Interdisciplinary Study of Second Language Learning (NISSLL), https://nissll.wordpress.com, Founding member with K. Gil and H. Marsden, Funded by the White Rose Consortium.
  • Invited workshop for English language teachers at Vienna University of Economics and Business
  • Professional Development Course for English language teachers on English for Academic Purposes at York St Johns University

External Examiner / Programme Reviewer responsibilities have included:

  • Sheffield University, MA Applied Linguistics with TESOL
  • Anglia Ruskin: BA English Language & Linguistics, English Language & English Language Teaching
  • Leicester University, BA Management and English as a Foreign Language
  • Southampton University, BA Linguistics
  • University of Kent, MA TESOL
  • United Arab Emirates University, BA Linguistics

External Professional Membership and Responsibilities have included:

  • British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP)
    • BALEAP Accreditation Scheme Assessor (for EAP programmes)
    • Research Officer, member of the Executive Committee (2007-2010)
  • Association of University Language Centres (AULC)
  • British Association for Applied Linguists (BAAL)
  • Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB)

Research Postgraduate student supervision. Completed projects include:

  • Implicit vs explicit knowledge, Arabic L2 learners of English, causative\inchoative, middle and transitive\intransitive alternations
  • Overcoming external v internal Interface, Articles and L2 acquisition
  • Translation as a teaching tool, Arabic L1 learners of English articles
  • Teaching Arabic as a second language
  • Input enhancement, Arabic L1 learners of L2 English passives
  • Mother tongue input in the language classroom
  • L2 acquisition of epistemic modality in English by L1 Thai-speaking children and adults

Scholarship

2022 Journal Publication

A blindspot in applied linguistics

Whong, Melinda

Pedagogical Linguistics Vol 3, Issue 2, pp. 181-186
2022 Conference Presentation

St Andrews EAP Conference, Plenary speaker, The Role of Reflection in the Transition from Practitioner to Scholar-Practitioner

Whong, Melinda

St Andrews
2021 Scholarship Talk

City U invited speaker series, A self-directed approach to observation of teaching

Whong, Melinda/Co-presenter: Nora Hussin

Hong Kong
2021 Conference Presentation

Baleap PIM, Leadership (and management) in EAP: Whose job is it?

Whong, Melinda

Durham
2021 Scholarship Talk

CAES Seminar, Practice into Theory in SLA

Whong, Melinda

Hong Kong
2020 Book

Grammar: A Linguists' Guide for Language Teachers

Whong, M., Tom Rankin

Cambridge University Press 978-1-108-48602-6
2020 Conference Presentation

Center for Excellence in Language Teaching (CELT), Precarity, Practitioners and the Corona Virus: A directors perspective

Whong, Melinda

Leeds
2020 Book

What is Good Academic Writing: Insights into Discipline Specific Student Writing

Whong, M., Jeanne Godfrey

Bloomsbury Academic
2020 Chapter in Edited Volume

A collaborative scholarship model if EAP research and practice:

Whong, M., Jeanne Godfrey

In Whong, M and Godfrey.J. (Eds). What is Good Academic Writing: Insights into Discipline Specific Student Writing, Bloomsbury Academic
2019 Conference Presentation

Scholarship in EAP through 'Dual Practitioning'

WHONG, Melinda

China EAP Association (CEAPA) Annual Conference, Shanghai
2019 Conference Presentation

'Dual Pracitioning': A step beyond collaboration

WHONG, Melinda

British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP) Conference, [co-presenter: J. Godfrey], Leeds
2019 Chapter in Edited Volume

Grammatical concepts for pedagogical grammar

Whong, M., Tom Rankin

In Trotzke, A. and Kupisch, T. (Eds.) Formal Linguistics and Language Education: New Empirical Perspective
2018 Scholarship Talk

Experimental Methods in EAP

WHONG, Melinda

Baleap Research Teacher Enhancement Scheme, Reading
2018 Conference Presentation

Exploring the European Context of Language Programmes

WHONG, Melinda

The 10th Wulkow Meeting of Directors of Language Centres in Higher Education in Europe The 10th Wulkow Meeting of Directors of Language Centres in Higher Education in Europe
2017 Journal Publication

What's in the textbook and what's in the mind

Whong, M., K. Gil and H. Marsden

Studies in Second Language Acquisition http://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263117000018
2017 Conference Presentation

A Combined Offer: Collaborative Development through a Content-Based Pre-sessional Programme

WHONG, Melinda

British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP) Conference [co-presenter: B. Bond] Bristol
2017 Conference Presentation

Developing co-curricular language learning activities

WHONG, Melinda

18th Annual Association of University Language Centres (AULC) Conference
2017 Journal Publication

The meaning of negation in the second language classroom: Evidence from 'any'

Whong, M., K. Gil and H. Marsden

Language Teaching Research http://0-doi-org.wam.leeds.ac.uk/10.1177/1362168817740144
2017 Scholarship Talk

Policy for Teacher Transformation

WHONG, Melinda

Faces of English 2, CAES International Conference, [Colloquium Organiser: A. Ding] Hong Kong
2016 Scholarship Talk

The importance of generative research for language teaching

WHONG, Melinda

CAROLE Symposium, Plenary Speaker, Greenwich University
2016 Scholarship Talk

Bringing Target Disciplines into Syllabus Design

WHONG, Melinda

BALEAP Accreditation Scheme Training Day
2016 Seminar

Communicating with other Worlds: Formal Linguistic Second Language Acquisition and Language Teaching

WHONG, Melinda

Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB), [co-organisers: K. Gil and H. Marsden]
2015 Conference Presentation

The meaning of Negation in Classroom Instruction

WHONG, Melinda

European Second Language Acquisition (EuroSLA) co-presenters: K Gil and H. Marsden] lowa, Aix-en-Provence
2014 Scholarship Talk

What's happened to Language in language teaching research?

WHONG, Melinda

Research Talk Series, Vienna University of Economics and Business
2014 Conference Presentation

Complexity in Language Learning: The Need for Linguistic Expertise

WHONG, Melinda

BAAL Language Learning and Teaching SIG
2014 Conference Presentation

A role for generative SLA in classroom research

WHONG, Melinda

Symposium, L2 Instruction, Congitive Processes and L2 Difficulty [co-presenter: K Gil] University of Brussels
2014 Journal Publication

Beyond Paradigm: The 'what' and 'how' of classroom research

Whong, M., K Gil and H. Marsden

Second Language Research. 30: 551-568
2014 Scholarship Talk

Beyond paradigm: The importance of 'what' in second language classroom research

WHONG, Melinda

Departmental Research Series, University of Swansea
2013 Book

Universal Grammar and the Second Language Classroom

Whong, M., K. Gil and H. Marsden

Edited Volume, Springer
2013 Seminar

Special Workshop: Applying Generative SLA to the Language Classroom

WHONG, Melinda

Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition (GASLA) Invited Colloquium [co-organisers: K. Gil and H. Marsden], Gainesville, Florida
2013 Chapter in Edited Volume

Applied Generative SLA: The need for an agenda and a methodology

Whong, M.

In Whong et al (eds) Universal Grammar and the Second Language Classroom, Springer. pp 231-248
2013 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

Can explicit grammar instruction serve as evidence for L2 grammar restructuring?

Whong, M., K Gil and H. Marsden

Advances in Language Acquisition. Starvrakaki, S., Lalioti, M. & Konstantinopoulou, P. (eds.). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 328-336. http://pure.york.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/can-explicit-grammar-instruction-serve-as-evidence
2013 Chapter in Edited Volume

Quantifiers: From and meaning in second language development

Whong, M., K Gil and H. Marsden

In Whong et al (eds) Universal Grammar and the Second Language Classroom, Springer. pp. 149-160
2013 Conference Presentation

Linguistics in Arabia, Can researching any tell us anything about teaching?

WHONG, Melinda

King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah
2013 Chapter in Edited Volume

Scope and methodologies.

Whong, M., C. Wright

In J. Hershensohn & M. Young-Scholten (eds) Cambridge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: CUP
2013 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

How we can learn from acquisition: the acquisition-learning debate revisited

Whong, M., K. Gil and H. Marsden

Proceedings of the 12th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2013). University of Florida. Cabrelli Amaro, J., Judy, T. & Pascual y Cabo, D. (eds). Cascadilla Proceedings Project, P. 203-210
2013 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

Can explicit grammar instruction serve as evidence for L2 grammar restructuring?

Whong, M., K Gil and H. Marsden

Advances in Language Acquisition. Starvrakaki, S., Lalioti, M. & Konstantinopoulou, P. (eds.). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 328-336. http://pure.york.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/can-explicit-grammar-instruction-serve-as-evidence
2012 Journal Publication

A linguistic perspective on communicative language teaching

Whong, M.

Language Learning. 40:1-14
2012 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

L2 acquisition of any: negative evidence, negative implicature and negative L1 transfer

Whong, M., K Gil and H. Marsden

Proceedings of Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) College Park, MD.
2011 Book

Language Teaching: Linguistic Theory in Pratice

Whong, M.

Edinburgh University Press
2011 Seminar

Half a century on: What relevance does generative SLA have for language teaching?

WHONG, Melinda

American Association of Applied Linguists (AAAL)
2011 Conference Presentation

Can explicit grammar instruction serve as evidence for L2 grammar restructuring?

WHONG, Melinda

Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition (GALA) [co-presenters: K. Gil and H. Marsden] lowa
2010 Conference Presentation

L2 acquisition of any: negative evidence, negative implicature and negative L1 transfer

WHONG, Melinda

Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) [co-authors: K Gil and H. Marsden] College Park, MD
2009 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

Editor: EAP in a Globalizing World: English as an Academic Lingua Franca

Whong, M.

Proceedings of the 2007 BALEAP Conference
2006 Chapter in Edited Volume

What transfers? An investigation into L1 transfer and L2 development

Whong, M.

In S. Unsworth, M. Young-Scholten and T. Parodi (eds.) Paths of Development in L1 and L2 Acquisition Amsterdam: John Benjamins. pp. 566-608
2005 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

Transfer of argument structure and morphology

Whong, M.

In L. Dekydtspotter et al (eds.) Proceedings of the 7th Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2004), Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. pp. 269-282
2003 Working Paper - Peer Reviewed

The interaction of transfer and access: Explaining failure in second language acquisition

Whong, M.

In J. Eckerth & M. Wendt (eds.) Proceedings from the International Foreign Language Teaching Colloquium, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. pp. 139-152
2002 Journal Publication

Morphological and syntactic transfer in child L2 acquisition of the English dative alternation

Whong, M., B.D. Schwartz

Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 24:579-616