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• • second language (L2) speaking fluency

  • L2 pragmatics

  • research engagement in the TESL community

  • L2 learner vocabulary development

  • immigrant youth settlement

My research focuses on second language (L2) acquisition (both the teaching and learning of English) and on the immigration and integration of newcomers into Canadian society.

The main focus of my second language acquisition research is on the development of English communicative competence by non-native speakers. This was reflected in my doctoral work on communication strategies, in my postdoctoral study of fluency and task differences in second language learning; in my SSHRC-funded research aimed at defining, assessing, and teaching second language fluency; and in my more recent work in ESL learner vocabulary and pragmatics. Over the course of my program of research, I have designed strategy training and fluency instruction to enhance speaking skills; gathered oral data from adult ESL learners in the form of picture stories, role plays, and monologues; collected fluency judgments from both native speakers and non-native speakers of English; and carried out analyses of the accuracy, fluency, and complexity of oral productions. The linguistic and strategic foci of my research all relate to enhancing learners' ability to interact with native speakers and other non-native speakers of English and to integrate into their chosen academic, occupational, and/or social communities. I am also very interested in enhancing ESL practitioners' engagement with research.

My interest in immigration issues is reflected in my research on diverse segments of the immigrant population; these include my project on the expectations and language/ settlement education needs of international brides in rural Alberta, and my past and current studies of immigrant youth settlement. As a co-sponsor of refugee families from around the world, I have seen clearly that the ease with which adult immigrants and refugees integrate into our community has a significant impact on the success that their children achieve in their adaptation to Canadian society. Research on current gaps and appropriate responses to the needs of newcomers can serve both to facilitate resettlement and to promote the development of healthy families.

I am fully retired effective July 1, 2019.