We are excited to share that Jeanine Markley, an MA Student in SLS, has been selected to receive a $500 Kalo Grant to help fund her project, the “Simple Connected Speech App” which is a tool she created that helps English language learners improve pronunciation through audio and visualization.

Kalo Grants are intended to help student entrepreneurs move their idea forward, secure funding, and build something that creates impact.

Congratulations, Jeanine, on this impressive achievement!

The post MA Student Jeanine Markley Chosen as Kalo Grant Recipient appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

We are happy to share that Ayano Kawasaki, a PhD candidate in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has recently published an article, “Bridging the research–pedagogy gap: ESL teachers’ beliefs about L2 fluency and fluency-enhancing classroom practices,” in Language Teaching Research.

This article originated from her second qualifying paper and examines teachers’ beliefs about fluency and fluency-enhancing activities, as well as the extent to which these beliefs are reflected in their classroom practices. The study offers important insights into the need for teacher training that promotes a more nuanced understanding of fluency and the effective implementation of fluency-focused activities.

Read the article here: 

Congratulations again, Ayano, on this outstanding achievement!

The post PhD Student Ayano Kawasaki Published in Language Teaching Research appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

We offer congratulations to two of our SLS PhD students, Alexander F. Tang and David B. Honeycutt, for their technology in practice forum publication in a Language Learning & Technology (LLT), edited by Matt Kessler! LLT is the flagship journal in language learning and educational technologies with an impact factor of 4.1 (5-year impact factor: 5.6; Scopus CiteScore 9.0). LLT is sponsored by the University of Hawaii’s National Foreign Language Resource Center and Center for Language & Technology.

Alex and David’s co-authored forum, Multiliteracies for generative artificial intelligence-assisted digital multimodal composing: A technology-in-practice approach, provides a methodological overview on GenAI-assisted digital multimodal composing for teachers and practitioners to adapt and use in their multilingual classrooms. They describe step-by-step how to incorporate the New London Group’s multiliteracies pedagogical components in instruction, and share practical benefits and challenges, as well as lessons learned from their collaborative project. The article is open access and available now!

APA Citation: Tang, A. F., & Honeycutt, D. B. (2026). Multiliteracies for generative artificial intelligence-assisted digital multimodal composing: A technology-in-practice approach. Language Learning & Technology,��30(1), 1–13. 

The post PhD Students Alexander Tang and David Honeycutt Published in Learning Language Technology appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

We are pleased to announce that PhD candidate Mayuko Yusa, starting this April, will be working an Associate Professor at the Center for Fundamental Education at the University of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka, Japan!

Congratulations, Mayuko! We wish you luck in your new role!

The post PhD Student Mayuko Yusa Hired at University of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka, Japan appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

Second Language Studies is delighted to welcome Ms. Nai Yi “Nerry” Htoon from Myanmar! Ms. Htoon is a virtual fellow in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP), a program of the U.S. Department of State that runs from March 16-April 10, 2026. SLS serves as her institutional fellowship host. Along with an MA in English from Yangon University of Foreign Languages, Nerry also has earned a CELTA certificate and is a candidate for a DELTA certificate. She serves as the Training, Development and Recruitment Director at International House Yangon-Mandalay, where she focuses on hiring, professional development, and well-being of the school’s teachers. She also is the Academic Head of the English Language Program at the American Center Yangon (a nonprofit program run by the U.S. Embassy), teaching exam preparation classes and conducting voluntary community teacher training programs for teachers and monk teachers in remote areas of the country. In her fellowship, Nerry is especially interested in learning more about current American practices in second language pedagogy along with expanding her knowledge related to teacher development and support. She will be working directly with Kenny Harsch (serving as fellowship host for SLS). She hopes to talk with faculty and program directors who have similar interests, and to find a project that allows SLS to tap into her knowledge and experience.

The post Welcome to SLS, YSEALI Fellow Nerry Htoon! appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

Dr. Gilliland’s talks were titled, “Practice Informing Theory Through Language Teacher Action Research” and “Being Reflective in an Ever-evolving Field of ELT.”

While at the conference, Dr. Gilliland was able to connect with some former SLS MA and PhD students (pictured below).

• Noboyuki Hino (SLS MA grad, now faculty at Otemon Gakuin University, Japan)
• Patharaorn (Orn) Patharakorn  (SLS PhD grad, now faculty at Chulalongkorn University Language Institute, Thailand)
• Gordon West (SLS MA grad, now faculty at National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
• Dennis Koyama (SLS MA grad, now faculty at Sophia University, Japan)

Congratulations to all on a great conference!

The post Dr. Betsy Gilliland an Invited Speaker at the 2026 RELC International Conference appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

The students were also accompanied by two faculty members including SLS PhD Graduate Dr. Junko Imai and another colleague from Juntendo University who holds an MA in Communication from ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa.

We are happy to have hosted them again, and hope they had a successful visit!

The post Juntendo University Professors and Students ����Vlog�ٷ� SLS appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

We are happy to share that Michol Malia Miller, a PhD candidate in the Department of Second Language Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has been chosen as one of 9 winners of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2026 Indigenous Language Scholarship Support Fund! Michol was also chosen as a winner in 2025. This fund is is intended for scholars presenting on Indigenous languages and used to support Indigenous scholarship presentations at the conference. It is meant to “facilitate the presentation of papers, posters, and roundtables on Indigenous languages.”

Michol Malia Miller is a doctoral candidate at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her primary research interests include critical curriculum and materials development and teacher training for Indigenous language revitalization, followed by secondary interests in task-based language teaching, critical pedagogy and cognitive usage-based approaches to second language acquisition. Motivated by her own personal journey of ancestral language reclamation of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), her research focuses on exploring ways that contemporary research in applied linguistics and second language acquisition can be leveraged to support the language revitalization efforts of Indigenous language communities around the world.

Congratulations, Michol! We are so proud of your hard work and achievements!

����Vlog�ٷ� the for more information on their upcoming conference and other funding opportunities!

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Our SLS department was well represented at the Hawai`i TESOL Conference this year! Many of our students and faculty presented papers, posters, and workshops! Mahalo to BYU Hawai`i for hosting this year, and for all of our `ohana and alumni who were in attendance! We can’t wait for next year~

More photos from the conference:

Hawai`i TESOL Conference 2026
Held on February 14, 2026
At BYU-Hawai`i Campus

The post SLS Students and Faculty Attend 2026 Hawai’i TESOL Conference appeared first on Department of Second Language Studies.

Dr. Chika Takahashi (PhD SLS Almuna) and Dr. Kotaro Maeda from Ehime University brought 5 students for a short term visit to SLS and Hawaiʻi from February 11-15.

With Dr. Dongping Zheng, they did a presentation focuses on the past, present, and future academic exchanges between the Department of Second Language Studies, ����Vlog�ٷ�M, and Ehime University, Japan—one of ����Vlog�ٷ�M’s partner universities. In this talk, the presenters will discuss some keys to successful academic exchanges as well as future opportunities for ����Vlog�ٷ�M students. Ehime student presenters will introduce Ehime University, reflect on their exchange experiences, and encourage ����Vlog�ٷ�M students to participate in future programs.

Our visitors are also observing some of our undergraduate SLS courses such as Learning Languages and Communicating Interculturally in a Global Multilingual World (SLS 150), Bilingualism: Cognition and Culture (SLS 280), and Second Language Learning (SLS 302). They will also attend Hawaiʻi TESOL.

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