Graduate Student Members
Anna Bartosik
Anna Bartosik is a 4th-year PhD student in the LLE program.
Research Interests:
Teacher development, motivation, educational technology
Hamidreza Moeiniasl
Hamid Reza Moeiniasl is a 4th-year Ph.D. student in the LLE program.
Research interests: Language assessment, Technology-assisted assessment, Language Teacher Education, L2 Reading, Teaching and assessment of critical thinking
Thesis topic: Investigating the Potentials of Computerized Dynamic Assessment in Supporting Critical Thinking Skills
Mohammad Reza Shalizar
Mohammadreza is a 1st-year Ph.D. student in the LLE program
Research interests :
Second language writing development, Complex Dynamic Systems Theory ( CDST ), CEFR, Multilingual writing
Leila Farzinpur
Leila Farzinpur is a 4th -year Ph.D. Candidate in the LLE program.
Research Interest: L2 Writing Challenges, Academic Writing Identity, L2 Writing Assessment, Developing Teaching Materials for L2 Learners, Academic Writing Pedagogy, L2 Writing Development
Supervisor: Dr. Katherine Rehner
Thesis Topic: Academic Writer Identity Construction and Awareness in the Canadian Academic Context: The Experience of Multilingual Student Writers at the Undergraduate Level
Yecid Ortega
Yecid Ortega is a 5th-year Ph.D. candidate in both language and literacies education (LLE) & comparative, international, development education (CIDE) programs and SSHRC/OGS (2018 -2020) award winner.
Research interests: Plurilingualism, EFL/ESL, critical theory, raciolinguistic ideologies, social justice, peacebuilding, globalization, neoliberalism, linguistic anthropology
Thesis: Social justice and peacebuilding curriculum (SJPBC): Understanding the lived experiences of marginalized English language students in post-conflict Colombia
Supervisor: Dr. Antoinette Gagné
Thesis Committee:Jeff Bale and Kathy Bickmore
Zehra Melike Palta
Zehra Melike Palta, a 4rd–year PhD student in the LLE program.
Supervisor: Dr. Antoinette Gagné
Research interest/areas:social and academic integration of refugees, linguistic minority rights, language politics, language learning and education
Thesis/dissertation topic: Exploring the reflections of non-sponsored refugees on their lived experiences to (re)conceptualize integration: A photovoice study of young Alevi refugee adults in Toronto
Conttia Lai
Conttia Lai is a PhD candidate in the Language and Literacies Education program.
Her research interests include academic literacies development, academic writing pedagogy, self-regulated learning, and learner motivation. She teaches academic writing in the International Foundation Program at New College and the Graduate Centre for Academic Communication at U of T.
Her thesis research, supervised by Prof. Alister Cumming, comprises three case studies of the textual borrowing practices of international graduate students. It is largely informed by her teaching practices and interactions with second language student writers in higher education contexts.
Yuliya Desyatova
Yuliya Desyatova is a 4rd-year PhD student in LLE program.
Ontario Graduate Scholarship recipient (2018-2019; 2019-2020)
Supervisor – Dr. Enrica Piccardo
Research interests:
Classroom-based and classroom-relevant research, policy implementation in language teaching; language teacher professional development.
Her thesis is examining the implementation of portfolio-based language assessment (PBLA) as a mandatory assessment protocol in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program.
Christopher Gradin
Christopher Gradin is a 1st-year PhD student in Language and Literacies Education.
Research Interests: Heritage & minority language education, plurilingualism, CEFR(-J), language planning & policy, symbolic capital, funds of knowledge, third space.
Supervisor: Dr. Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstman
Reshara Alviarez
Reshara Alviarez is a 1st-year Ph.D. student in the Language and Literacies Education (LLE) program.
Research Interests: Plurilingualism, bidialectalism, World Englishes, student achievement, postcolonial studies, Caribbean language varieties
Supervisor: Dr. Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstmann
Amy Christine Parker
Stephanie Shuler
Stephanie Shuler is in her final year of her PhD studies in the department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (CTL).
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) award winner (2015).
Research interests: multiple literacies, thriving, alternative and holistic education, leisure studies, inclusion, peace building and mothering.
As a social entrepreneur, Stephanie is the co-founder of an international social design initiative pursuing the co-creation of a self-sustainable ecovillage. Stephanie has conducted research that investigates: Thriving – a hierarchical values analysis.
Thesis topic: What are parents’ narratives about their experience with their child’s language-based learning disability?
Supervisor: Dr. Karyn Cooper
Faith Marcel
Faith Marcel is a Phd Candidate in Language and Literacies Education (LLE) in the collaborative Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI) program.
Research interests: Investigating AR, VR, Mixed Realities and VoiceThread in language learning and other academic contexts, and integrating educational technologies in language classrooms to promote greater engagement and meaningful interaction for all learners.
Supervisor: Dr. Enrica Piccardo
Thesis/dissertation topic: Investigating Mobile Mixed Reality (MR) Technologies