The Multilingual Lab

Francis Rabi Wemniga (MA student in TESOL & Linguistics, Ball State University)

Project: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in EAP Contexts

Experiences: "Over the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant with Dr. Yoo. My main duties consisted in reading, summarizing, and developing a mindmap of scholarly articles related to the role of artificial intelligence in college writing classes. Before starting my duties, Dr. Yoo prepared me with a training session on the use of Excel, Lucidchart, Canva to give me all the necessary skills. Throughout the summer, I have read and summarized about 63 articles which cover the social, intellectual, and technological  implications of artificial intelligence in college first-year writing classes. Dr. Yoo is not only a patient teacher, but she is a kind supervisor and never rushed me on my duties. She was always available to provide feedback and teach me additional tips in research. The summer 2025 was my most fruitful research journey in just three months under her leadership and guidance.  I am eager to work under her supervision on this project and explore more burning topics in the field of TESOL & Linguistics."

Lida Zarearsanjani (MA student in Linguistics, Ball State University)

Project: Linguistic Racism and Learner Investment in English Learning

Experiences: "Working as a Research Assistant with Dr. Yoo was both valuable and productive. My responsibilities included reading and analyzing academic articles focused on willingness to communicate and L2 learner investment. I carefully reviewed each article and recorded key information in an Excel spreadsheet, organizing the content in a way that allowed for clear comparisons and thematic connections. Through this work, I developed stronger academic reading skills and became more confident in synthesizing complex information. It also gave me a clearer understanding of how research findings can be applied to teaching practices. Dr. Yoo’s support was instrumental in making this experience successful. She was always approachable and provided clear instructions and helpful feedback, which made the research process easier to manage and more meaningful. Her encouragement helped me grow as a researcher and deepened my interest in academic research during my graduate studies. I am very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this project."

Judith Owano (MA student in TESOL & Linguistics, Ball State University)

Project: Linguistic Racism and Learner Investment in English Learning

Experiences: "Over Summer 2024 and 2025, I worked with Dr. Juyeon Yoo on projects exploring L2 anxiety, willingness to communicate, and learner investment. These experiences deepened my understanding of how multilingual learners navigate emotional and academic challenges. Dr. Yoo’s clear structure and supportive mentorship helped me grow as a teacher-researcher. I also gained skills in visualizing research through tools like Lucidchart and Canva, which now shape how I synthesize and present complex ideas--and enriched my approach to supporting multilingual learners both in research and in the classroom. What I appreciated most was Dr. Yoo’s clarity and organization--she provided step-by-step weekly goals that helped me stay focused and systematic throughout the project. She was also empathetic and flexible, adjusting timelines to accommodate my workload. Our weekly meetings eased the process and sharpened my research skills. This experience has informed my role as an ENG 104 Teaching Assistant and inspired my own research on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy."

Thu Nguyen (MA student in TESOL & Linguistics, Ball State University)

Project: Linguistic Racism and Learner Investment in English Learning

Experiences: "My main duty for the job is to look for articles related to the research topic from 11 assigned journals, analyze them, and categorize them into key themes in the Word sheet and Excel spreadsheet. Since this is my first time working as an RA and I don’t have much experience analyzing research articles, I initially felt apprehensive about whether I would be able to meet the expectations of this role. However, Dr. Yoo’s support, guidance, and wealth of knowledge have made this experience not only manageable but profoundly educational. Dr. Yoo has been incredibly patient in answering all my questions and concerns, giving me enough time to handle the workload successfully and efficiently. One of my favorite things about this job is probably our weekly meetings. These sessions have been an invaluable space for me to raise any concerns or questions, and I love the way Dr. Yoo always welcomes other ideas and opinions. The experience I have gained from this work serves as a motivation and inspiration for me to pursue my own project in the future."