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Applied Linguistics

Meifang Zhuo

Hello! I am currently doing my PhD (2021-) at the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. My main research interests include teacher research, teacher development, teacher psychology and wellbeing, innovation in English language teaching and learning as well as language management. Recently, I have developed a strong interest in visual and arts-based research methods and AI in education. My PhD research project is supervised by Professor Annamaria PinterLink opens in a new window and Professor Neil MurrayLink opens in a new window.

I have worked in English language teaching since 2010, teaching in various contexts in China, including public high schools, language training centres and a college. In addition to this, I have worked as a freelance interpreter and translator (English-Chinese) for conferences, publications, and various business settings.

I have contributed to the teaching of the MA TESOL programme (including dissertation supervision), PhD Research Method module, and short courses in Applied linguistics at the University of Warwick. I also joined the team of dissertation supervisors for the MA TESOL and TESOL Studies programmes (2023-2024) in School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of LeedsLink opens in a new window. From June, 2025, I will be continuing supervising master students' dissertation in my role as Assistant Professor TESOL in the School of Education and Social Justice, College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham.

I have obtained the status of Associate Fellow of the HEA (AFHEA) and worked as a PGR Teacher ChampionLink opens in a new window for WPTC in the Warwick Organizational Development Department in 2024. Now I am working as a PGR Teacher Mentor Link opens in a new windowfor new PGR teacher champions.

I have been selected to become a Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA).Link opens in a new window

Current Research

My PhD study aims to explore the impacts and implications of a proposed teacher research project (a combination of workshops and mentoring sessions) for teacher development for research-interested experienced high school English teachers in China. The goal of such a proposal is to guide and support teachers to do research in their own classrooms, to promote their professional development and to ultimately enhance the quality of life in the classroom and teacher wellbeing.

Latest news:

Award:

I have been selected as the Second Place Winner in the Interdisciplinary category of the Warwick Open Research Awards 2025 and invited to attend the Open Research Symposium and awards ceremony on 14 July 2025.

Commendation: "The panel was highly impressed by your commitment to open research practices and the innovative ways you have advanced transparency, collaboration, and accessibility through your work."

Publication:

Zhuo, M., Webb, K., & Mann, S. (2025). New trends in ELT teacher education. In N. A. Nazari (Ed.), Empowering the English language teacher in a multipolar environment (pp. 89-105). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4839-9_6

Conference panelist:

I was selected as the only international student on the panel Ensuring successful student outcomes for all - Exporling diverse student journeys at the Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2025: Future-focused education: Ensuring successful student outcomes for all.Link opens in a new windowat the Wave, University of Sheffield on 1st July, 2025.

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New appointment

I have been offered the role of Assistant Professor TESOL in the School of Education and Social Justice, College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham. In this role, I will continue to support TESOL master students with their research and dissertation.

Academic Background
  • 2021- PhD in Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching (expected to finish in 2025), University of Warwick, UK
    • With full scholarship
  • 2019-2020 MA TESOL- Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Distinction), University of Warwick, UK
    • With Bursary
Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

Zhuo, M. (2024). “I feel my inner child out”: Zine-making as a data collection tool in narrative inquiry. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. 3(3). Article 100131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2024.100131Link opens in a new window

Zhuo, M., & Tang, H. (2024). Understanding students’ English-speaking difficulties: An Exploratory Practice approach with Web 2.0. RELC Journal, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882241253Link opens in a new window

Zhuo, M. (2024). Language choices in post-observation conferences: L1 or L2, that's the question. TESOL Journal, 15(3). e816. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.816Link opens in a new window.

Zhuo, M., & Huang, J. (2024). Using exploratory practice to teach: An innovative way to explore students' speaking difficulties. TESOL Journal, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.746Link opens in a new window

Zhuo, M., & Li, Y. (2024). Harnessing the power of peer dialogue to support GTAs’ professional development: Two reflective stories. Journal of PGR Pedagogic Practice. 4, 136-158. https://doi.org/10.31273/jppp.vol4.2024.1792Link opens in a new window

Zhuo, M., Read, A., Ajmal, I., Dar, F., Li, Y., Wang, Y., & Affejee. Y. (2024). Editorial: “GTAs’ (Re/De) Constructing the Learning and Teaching Space Piece By Piece”. Journal of PGR Pedagogic Practice. 4, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.31273/jppp.vol4.2024.1786Link opens in a new window 

Professional articles

Zhuo, M. (2024). Addressing knowledge Inequality: Visual and arts-based methods as a possibilityLink opens in a new window. Entry for Society & Culture Spotlight PGR and ECR Writing Competition Series 1. Published online by Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Research Spotlights.

Zhuo, M. (2024). IATEFL 2023 ReSIG Pre-Conference Event: a reflective reportLink opens in a new window. ELT Research: IATEFL Research SIG Newsletter. 39, 1-3.

Zhuo, M. (2023). How to communicate as a mentorLink opens in a new window. Modern English Teacher, 32(3), 79-81.

Zhuo, M. (2023). Literature circles: fun, creative and meaningfulLink opens in a new window. Modern English Teacher, 32(5), 79-81.

Book chapters

Zhuo, M., Webb, K., & Mann, S. (2025). New trends in ELT teacher education. In N. A. Nazari (Ed.), Empowering the English language teacher in a multipolar environment (pp. 89-105). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4839-9_6

Zhuo, M. (2024). How I sustained teachers' motivation and engagement in a long-term teacher research programLink opens in a new window. In R. Smith, S. E. Tuyan, M. Serra & E. A. Bekes (Eds.), Stories of Mentoring Teacher-Research (pp. 54-60). IATEFL ReSIG.

Zhuo, M. (2023). Mentoring experienced in-service high school English teachers' action research: case studies from ChinaLink opens in a new window. In M.N. Güngör (ed.), Action research in language teaching and teacher education: voices from diverse contexts (pp. 41-66). Blackswan.

Book Reviews

Zhuo, M. (2024). Review of Pinter (2023): Engaging children in applied linguistics research. Language Teaching for Young Learners. https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00051.zhuLink opens in a new window

Zhuo, M. (2023). Decentring ELT: practices and possibilities. ELTED Journal, 26. http://www.elted.net/uploads/7/3/1/6/7316005/002_meifang__final.pdfLink opens in a new window

Zhuo, M. (2022). A language management approach to language problems. Current Issues in Language Planning, 23(3), 343-345. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2022.2055935Link opens in a new window

Commissioned reports

Professional development materials

  • Wang, Yvette Yitong, Meifang Zhuo, Maricarmen Gamero Mujica, Xiaofang Lu, Annamaria Pinter and Steve Mann (2023) PLC guideLink opens in a new window. Report to the British Council (Companion volume). Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
  • Zhuo, Meifang, Zheng Chen, Sundeep Dhillon, Fei Ji, Ana Sepulveda Poblete, Anthony J. Liddicoat, Neil Murray, Penny Mosavian, Steve Mann, Anna Maria Pinter (2023) Teachers guide: Foundations in teaching EnglishLink opens in a new window. Report to the British Council (Companion volume). Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
Project experiences
Conference Presentations

2025

  • Advance HE Teaching and Learning Conference 2025: Future-focused education: Ensuring successful student outcomes for all, 1st July, Sheffield, the UK (as a selected panelist)
    • Ensuring successful student outcomes for all - Exporling diverse student journeys
  • the the IATEFL Joint RESIG, GISIG & YLTSIG PCE: Researching Social Justice in Young Learner Classrooms, 7th April, Edinburgh, the UK (presented by invitation)
    • Enabling children’ voices through children-led Exploratory Practice: possibilities and challenges

2024

  • the 4th International Conference 'Language in the Human-Machine Era' 'Exploring the dark side of future language technologies: Linguistic (in)security, ethics, and privacy in the Human-Machine era', 2-3 September 2024, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (Presented)
    • Entering the dragons’ den: Pedagogical and Ethical Challenges of language education in the Human-Machine Era
  • the 57th Annual Conference of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), the 5th- 7th September 2024, University of Essex, the UK (Abstract accepted for presentation.)
    • Exploratory Practice for promoting social justice in language education: two examples from China
  • International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) International Conference, 18 April 2024, Brighton, the UK (Presented)
    • Mentoring experienced in-service high school English teachers’ action research

2023

  • the IATEFL online event: Stories of Mentoring Teacher-Research, 17th June 2023 (presented online)

    • How to sustain teachers’ motivation and engagement in a long-term teacher-research program?

    • Three minutes of fame?: Should teachers be introduced to international publications and conferences before the completion of a long term teacher-research program?

  • International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) International Conference, Research SIG Showcase Day, 20 April 2023, Harrogate, the UK (presented)
    • Veteran Teachers’ research engagement: perspectives from China

2022

  • International Conference on Language Teacher Psychology, 1st Language Teacher Psychology Conference on Teachers Matter (LTPC2022), 6-7 October 2022, Çağ University, Mersin, Turkey (abstract accepted for presentation)
    • Towards resilience? Exploring Chinese high school English teachers’ perceptions and reflections on the impact of COVID-19
  • Second Language Teacher Education: Challenges and New Horizons, 15-17 September 2022, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (Presented)
    • Getting everyone involved and everyone entertained: a literature journey with Literature Circles for students and teachers in senior high schools in China
  • 24th Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics (WICAL 2022), 28-30 June, 2022, University of Warwick, UK (Presented)
    • A teacher research project for research literate high school English teachers in China: impacts and implications
  • Linguistics and English Language Postgraduate Conference 2022(LELPGC22), 6-8 June, 2022, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK (Presented)
    • The efficacy of the Single Point Rubric on teaching and learning continuation writing skills in senior high schools in China: an experimental study
Teaching and teaching related activities
  • Assistant Professor TESOL in the School of Education and Social Justice, College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham.
  • Tutor for Ritsumeikan University Intercultural Programme 2025 (Warwick Short Courses, Applied Linguistics)
  • Dissertation Supervisor for MA TESOL and MA TESOL Studies, School of Education, University of Leeds (2024)
  • Guest Lecturer for PhD Research Methods Seminar on Classroom Research, Applied Linguistics (2023-2024)
  • Tutor for English Immersion Programme for Hong Kong University PGCE 2023 students (Warwick Short Courses, Applied Linguistics)
  • Tutor for English for Global Communication (EGC) Summer School 2023 (Warwick Short Courses, Applied Linguistics)
  • Dissertation Supervisor for Master Dissertation (MA TESOL, Applied Linguistics) (2022-2023)(2023-2024)
  • Senior GTA for MA TESOL core module ET9B6 Research methods in TESOL(2022-2023)(2023-2024)
  • Senior GTA for MA TESOL core module ET9B7 SLA Insights for TESOL Practice(2022-2023) (2023-2024)
  • Senior GTA for MA TESOL Practice Assignment (2022-2023)
  • Senior GTA for the Research Methods Workshop delivered to the PGT students of the department (MA TESOL, 2021-2022; 2024-2025); (Msc in Intercultural Communication for Business and Professionals, 2022-2023)
Professional Activities
  • Conference committee member for Warwick PGR Teacher Conference, 27th June, 2025.
  • Event facilitator for Spotlight Society & Culture Celebration Event for PGR & ECR Network and published writers to present their work, 23rd June, 2025
  • Student Co-chair for Warwick Education Conference 2025Link opens in a new window, 5th June, 2025.
  • Event organizer and facilitator for Spotlight Society & Culture PGR&ECR Network Launch Event on 28th April 2025.
  • PGR Teacher Mentor for WPTC in the Warwick Organizational Development Department (2025-now)
  • Co-founder and session Convenor of Social Sciences Research Exchange Group (SSREG) (2024-now)Link opens in a new window
  • Student Panelist for WIHEA Networking Discussion in March 2025 and WIHEA Connect Programme in January 2025
  • PGR Teacher Champion for WPTC in the Warwick Organizational Development Department (2024)
  • Session Moderator for China TeachingEnglish Online Conference by British Council China (2024)
  • Library student Partner (providing support for library events, including Research Refresh, PG Tips, open day and PGR events, and library service (Helpdesk) (2024-ongoing)
Professional association
Award & Grants
Non-academic activities

Meifang Zhuo

meifang.zhuo@warwick.ac.uk

LinkedIn: Meifang ZhuoLink opens in a new window