About
You can contact me via email (disbell at hawaii dot edu) to discuss studying with me.
Hello!
My name is Dan Isbell, and I am a language tester, applied linguist, and teacher. I completed my PhD in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University in 2019 and I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I serve on the the editorial boards of the journals Language Testing and TESOL Quarterly.
My primary research interest is language assessment, where I've done work on diagnostic assessment, self-assessment, rater effects, repeated test taking and proficiency development, test equating, specific purposes language testing, and vocabulary in context. Drawing on my language teaching and learning background, I am also interested in instructed second language acquisition. In particular, I have been exploring how L2 pronunciation is learned in instructed settings. My dissertation was titled "Diagnosing Second Language Pronunciation," which connects several of my research interests. This research focused on the usefulness of a diagnostic language assessment instrument for promoting learning of L2 Korean segmental pronunciation.
Before beginning my PhD studies, I earned my Master's in TESL from Northern Arizona University and taught English as a second or foreign language for about 5 years. In my teaching experience, I've taught learners between the age of 4 and 40-something from at least 10 different L1 backgrounds. I have also had the opportunity to do work in language testing, including essay rating, coordinating a testing program at an intensive English program, leading development on a test of English for a specialized occupational purpose, and interning at an international English testing organization.
One of the best things about working in language teaching, language assessment, and applied linguistics research is the community of passionate, hard-working, and caring individuals. I am a big proponent of collaboration and sharing of information, and to that end please feel free to contact me (disbell@hawaii.edu) if you are interested in any of my work, or think that I might be interested in yours. I have also made many of my papers and presentations available on this site (you can also check out my Google Scholar and ResearchGate profiles, linked below).
-Dan