Schedule and Abstracts

Improving the performance of large language models (LLMs) in non-English languages, like Telugu, which has millions of speakers is an emerging area of interest in artificial intelligence (AI). This study will compare how LLMs perform on the Winograd Schema Challenge, a reading comprehension task which can test for world knowledge reasoning. Twenty schemas will be run as prompts on four different LLMs in English and Telugu. On average, LLMs were accurate 74% of the time in Telugu while in English, they were accurate 90% of the time. The findings of this study contributes to research in under-resourced languages in AI.

In this talk, I argue that the usage of A.I. is becoming an undeniable part of the writing process for the masses, whether it is in school or the workforce. Therefore, education should trend towards showing students how to responsibly use it as a tool in the writing process to prepare them for the realities of finding a career. I make the argument that large language models such as ChatGPT are the first form of technology to close the digital divide. To make this argument, I will share my own interest in AI technologies along with an assignment that can be deployed in writing courses that shows a responsible and realistic approach to using large language models in the classroom.

In this presentation, I will be reviewing how I chose to design the English 114 course that I taught in the Fall 2024 semester at SFSU, in which I chose to provide a heavier rhetorical focus alongside the course theme of “Consumerism and the College Experience.” I will cover how I chose to teach digital literacy in my course, one of my focuses for my larger paper, how experts suggest teaching digital literacy, and what I would do differently if I were to teach the course again, including recommendations for educators who want to teach a unit on digital literacy themselves.

In an increasingly globalized world, English serves as a Lingua Franca (ELF)  for native speakers and those from a diverse linguistic background. This  presentation will review the ELF in the K-12 English Language Arts classroom. Drawing on scholarship from TESOL and sociolinguistics, this discussion will examine some of the critical questions related to ELA education, including  “Standard English”, Native-speakerism and multilingual pedagogy. Existing ELA assumptions will be explored through the work of scholars such as Jennifer Jenkins, Suresh Canagarajah and Ofelia Garcia. The integration of ELF-informed practices can prepare K-12 students with the global communicative competence needed while affirming linguistic diversity. Practical implications for curriculum design and assessment will be reviewed

My presentation focuses on creating a curriculum for a conversation club at the American Language Institute at San Francisco State. My curriculum will introduce structure to a currently unstructured conversation practice offering. In my talk, I will introduce the benefits of creating conversation clubs for multilingual learners to allow for structured language practice environments, increasing motivation and language skills in English amongst students, as well as the benefits of implementing and practicing pragmatics in conversation to carry out day to day conversation in real-world scenarios. 

Speaking anxiety significantly hinders English language learners’ performance, especially among Japanese learners. This presentation explores how to reduce speaking anxiety in EFL classrooms within business-oriented courses for adult Japanese learners. In my talk, I will identify the main contributing factors and propose strategies to address them. In addition, I will demonstrate how a pre-existing curriculum can be enhanced through specific classroom activities to lower speaking anxiety. These strategies aim to help instructors create a supportive learning environment where learners can engage in speaking tasks with confidence.

With rapidly emerging Large Language Model (LLM) technologies such as ChatGPT being used for daily life, interest has emerged in its implications for second language learning. My presentation aims to explore usage of Artificial Intelligence tools in an ESOL context to develop understanding of its viability both inside and outside of the classroom. By leveraging benefits and drawbacks of AI integration, I propose activities such as in-class discussion and role play using AI tools as a partner to augment language learning.

The aspectual marker le has two main sentence positions in Mandarin: directly post-verb (verbal), or at the end of a sentence (sentence-final). Previous research is split into two arguments – defining le as one complete, unified morpheme, or as two homophonous morphemes. In my talk, I will present the results of a survey probing Mandarin speakers on the semantic variety of le. The results corroborate with the two-morpheme approach, providing evidence that le contains multiple meanings and use cases, depending on syntactic position, topic content, and speaker context/attitude.

The Hmong, a historically displaced group with an oral tradition, continues facing significant challenges, such as poverty, low graduation rates, and language loss (Pew, 2022). This capstone proposes a national curriculum to preserve Hmong culture, drawing from Vygotsky’s SocialCultural Theory, Heritage language Learning, Translanguaging, and Richards’ Curriculum Development Theory. Scholars emphasize that effective language learning stems beyond a single instructional approach—encouraging students’ usage of their entire linguistic repertoire through translanguaging and social interaction. These theories are the foundation for the curriculum’s design and help guide decisions on the content. Translanguaging serves as a pathway to inclusivity and identity development.

In this paper I explore the vital role of reading in the first-year composition classroom, emphasizing its deep interconnection with writing. Drawing on research from scholars and pedagogical theory, I argue that teaching students to read like writers enhances their ability to recognize and utilize effective rhetorical strategies. I will highlight the use of model texts, guided reading practices, and imitation as key tools for bridging the gap between reading and writing in the FYC classroom. I conclude by offering strategies for integrating reading more intentionally into composition, ultimately aiming to improve student engagement, critical thinking, and writing abilities.

My presentation focuses on post-colonial trilingual education in Hong Kong and what TESOL educators should be aware of when teaching in Hong Kong. I look at how Hong Kong's history affects its students and what is unique about the Hong Kong learner. In this presentation, I will also provide educators looking to teach in Hong Kong with suggestions of what to be aware of and how to teach more effectively in this context. Finally, I will also provide information on where to find jobs and some of the requirements for teaching in Hong Kong.      

Large Language Models (LLMs) have rapidly evolved, transforming natural language processing through their ability to perform diverse tasks with human-like fluency. However, their reliance on extremely large and uncurated internet-based datasets has not only introduced harmful biases into the model but also creates the potential to amplify them, especially in high-risk environments. This study aimed to explore potential gender biases in the latest GPT-4o model, focusing on third-person singular pronoun prediction for occupational contexts using the WinoBIAS dataset. Due to the varying answers of the chat interface, the test was performed not only in a logged-in account, but also in a new account and once with no account at all. This revealed persistent male-dominant bias, particularly in occupational pronoun assignments. Despite the efforts towards fairness and mitigation, findings suggest that LLMs still reflect societal stereotypes when logged in, but give a proper mitigated response when not logged in. This paper looks at the importance of diverse datasets and rigorous bias testing in future LLM development.

My presentation explores how 20th and 21st-century global writers frequently grapple with the universal theme of self-discovery and adaptation in a rapidly changing world. Through a quote collage drawn from twelve diverse texts, I will examine how navigating new landscapes, negotiating language, and exploring one’s authentic identity become central elements of 20th and 21st-century global literature.

This paper explores how the Victorian periodical press mythologized the Christmas pudding, transforming it from a symbol of imperial abundance and liturgical ritual into a sentimental emblem of English domestic identity. Tracing its appearance in cookery books, serialized stories, advertisements, and visual satire in the nineteenth-century, this work argues that the pudding became a semiotic tool through which national ideology was both preserved and sweetened. Finally, this analysis reflects what it means to “make and keep gentle” in a world whose comforts are curated by empire and consumption, concluding that food becomes edible myth, staged and serialized one symbolic spoonful at a time.

Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons is a work that turns the limits that contain meaning into engines that generate it. This presentation will explore how Stein creates friction between the multiple dimensions of signs in order to maximize their polysemy. We will look at Stein’s comments on her work in order to understand the metaphysical issues at stake in it. Finally, I will discuss how the text suggests a participative ethos of reading grounded in presence, openness, and care.