Yvette Yitong Wang
Profile
Yvette is a PhD student at the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. Her research project is supervised by Prof Tony Liddicoat and Prof Richard Smith. Her research interests include intercultural communication and language pedagogy, sociocultural theories, dialogic pedagogy, pre-service language teacher education, spatial design and practice.
Upcoming presentation at International Association of Language and Intercultural Communication Conference
A Critique of Anti-Essentialist Discourses: Ethical Issues in Intercultural Language Teacher Development
Abstract:
In the field of intercultural language education, there have been calls for more critical political engagement in the way interculturality is conceptualised and enacted. One long-standing critique among social justice agenda(s)targets‘essentialism'. These critiques contend that essentialist discourses and practices tend to reinforce existing ideological boundaries and may contribute to Othering and social injustice. As a result, non-essentialism has become the default starting position of intercultural-related research. Alongside this trend is a growth of radical anti-essentialist discourses that reject theoretical positions (e.g.,cross-cultural), concepts (e.g.,culture), and macro-categories (e.g,.nationality) because of their essentialist pitfalls.
While acknowledging the need to go beyond essentialism, this paper points out the paradox within anti-essentialist discourses: they reify and essentialise essentialism and non-essentialismas two discrete sets of theoretical positions, methods, and discursive practice. This creates a methodological and ethical dilemma for research and teacher education in intercultural language teaching and learning (ILTL): How can researchers and teacher educators deal with perceived essentialist statements and practices made by participants? Putting focus on calling out and correcting essentialism creates a significant risk of censuring language use, reducing participants to the discourse they produce, and creating an ideological divide between non-essentialist-usandessentialist-them. It may also lead to epistemic injustice, positioning teachers as passive recipients of academic knowledge and ideologies.
This paper seeks to address this dilemma by adopting an interdisciplinary perspective on intercultural language teacher development for which(non)essentialism constitutes only one among many aspects worthy of attention. Instead of treating ILTL as an applied field of intercultural communication research, it follows a more holistic approach to ILTL (Liddicoat & Scarino, 2013) and adopts an ecological perspective on language learners as the symbolic subject (Kramsch, 2009). In addition, it further integrates them with insights from sociocultural theories of language teacher education and transformative adult learning (Mezirow, 1991).
2024 News
New qualification
Yvette has successfully completed APP PGR program and obtained the Advance HE Associate Fellowship.
New appointments
Yvette has been appointed as a Monash-Warwick Alliance Associate
Yvette has been nominated and appointed as a Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy for 24/25.
Yvette has been selected and appointed to the committee of International Association for Language and Intercultural Communication for 24-27.
Invited speech at Festival of PGR Research
Yvette was invited to join a panel on 'overcoming challenges during your PhD' at Festival of PGR Research organized by Doctoral College in May.
Workshop on interdisciplinarity funded by BAAL Researcher Development Workshop Fund
Yvette and Dr. Joana Almeida delivered a BAAL-funded workshop titled “How to Use an Interdisciplinary Approach in Applied Linguistics Research?” in May.
Public engagement talk at #PintOfScience
Yvette gave a talk "Demystifying Modern Language Education" in May, reshaping public perception of language as symbolic power. https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/from-our-lives-to-our-minds
June! GTA professional development workshop
Yvette and Yanyan organized GTA Tips & Tricks Workshop: "Developing interactional competence in teaching" for Warwick Postgraduate Teaching Community, in June.
Research culture project
Yvette joined the project team in April to organize, investigate and evaluate “Countering silos and hierarchies through peer-to-peer research-in-progress conversations” funded by “Enhancing Research Culture Fund”.
Conference presentation
Yvette gave a presentation on "From theory to practice: prospective language teachers' professional learning of intercultural teaching in and through reflective practice" at Cultnet annual meeting in April.
Yvette gave a presentation on “Essentialist Challenges in Intercultural Teaching for Diversity in Practice” at the #IAIE International Association of Intercultural Education Conference in March.
Academic Background
2021-now PhD ELT and Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick
2019-2020 MA TESOL, University of Warwick, Distinction
2015-2019 BA Japanese and English, Beijing Language and Culture University
Professional Activities
2024 Designer & Organizer, GTA Tips & Tricks Workshop: Developing interactional competence in teaching. Academic Development Centre
2024 Project assistant, “Enhancing Research Culture Fund” project: “Countering silos and hierarchies through peer-to-peer research-in-progress conversations”. Enhancing Research Culture Fund
2024 PGR Teacher Champion
2023-2024 Postgraduate Student Representative, the University Research Governance and Ethics Committee
2023-2025 Intercultural Training Facilitator, Student Opportunity, University of Warwick
2023-2024 Managing Editor, ELTED Journal
2022-2023 PGR Development Officer, Doctoral College, University of Warwick
2021-now Convenor of Language, Culture, Matters Seminar Series, Department of Applied Linguistics
2021-2022 Chair, 24th Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics
Research Projects
2024-2025 Project assistant, “Countering silos and hierarchies through peer-to-peer research-in-progress conversations” phase 1 and 2
2023-2024 Principal investigator, Towards an Inclusive Library Landscape, Monash Warwick Alliance Student-led Activity Fund
2022-2023 Research assistant, Research on Language Teacher Professional Development, UK-China EMaDA Research and Materials Development Awards by British Council, Department of Applied Linguistics
2022 July Managing Linguistic Landscape Signs: Multilingualism in leaflets in Coventry Central Library, Multilingualism and Diversity Programme
Publications
Peer reviewed journal paper
Wang, Y. Y. (2023) Navigating theory and practice in intercultural language teaching: Challenges faced by a pre-service language teacher in enacting an interpretive perspective in classroom interaction. Intercultural Communication Education, 6(2), 53–72. https://doi.org/10.29140/ice.v6n2.893
British Council Research Project Commissioned reports
Liddicoat, Anthony J., Neil Murray, Penny Mosavian, Steve Mann, Annamaria Pinter, Meifang Zhuo, Yvette Yitong Wang, Xiaofang Lu (2023) Research on the evolution of educational ecology and construction of a professional learning community (PLC) for English teachers’ development under the Rural Revitalisation Strategy. Report to the British Council. Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
Liddicoat, Anthony J., Neil Murray, Steve Mann, Annamaria Pinter, Penny Mosavian, Meifang Zhuo, Yvette Yitong Wang, Xiaofang Lu (2023) EMaDA: Supporting sustainable English teacher CPD in Yunnan Province: Overview report. Report to the British Council. Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
Liddicoat, Anthony J., Steve Mann, Annamaria Pinter, Neil Murray, Penny Mosavian, Meifang Zhuo, Yvette Yitong Wang, Xiaofang Lu (2023) Research on development of cross-regional English teaching and research communities in bordering minority areas through systematic support for expert teacher workshops. Report to the British Council. Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
Liddicoat, Anthony J., Steve Mann, Penny Mosavian, Neil Murray, Annamaria Pinter, Meifang Zhuo, Yvette Yitong Wang, Xiaofang Lu (2023) Research into core curriculum design of postgraduate core courses for prospective English teachers in Southwest China. Report to the British Council. Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
Professional development materials
Wang, Yvette Yitong, Meifang Zhuo, Maricarmen Gamero Mujica, Xiaofang Lu, Annamaria Pinter and Steve Mann (2023) PLC guide. Report to the British Council (Companion volume). Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick.
Book Reviews
Wang, Y. (2022). Language management and its impact: The policies and practices of confucius institutes: (routledge studies in applied linguistics), by linda mingfang li, new York/Abingdon, routledge, 2019, 193 pp., £29.59, ISBN 13: 978-0-367-58415-3 (paperback) and 987-1-138-48001-8 (hardback). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2022.2136882
Teaching
Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick
2023/24 Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant, Sociolinguistics of English as a Global Language
2022/23 Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant, the Intercultural Pragmatics short course for students from Hong Kong Metropolitan University
2022/23 Associate Tutor, MSc Research Methods
2022/24 Dissertation Supervisor, MA TESOL Programme
2022/23 Guest lecturer, MA Specialism in Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning
2021/22 Associate Tutor, MA Research Methods
Award
2023 14-18 August (funded by Doctoral College) Cumberland Lodge Annual Postgraduate Conference: Life Beyond the PhD 2023.
Conferences and Presentations
2024 14 May Demystifying modern language education, at Pint of Science.
2024 17-19 April From theory to practice: prospective language teachers' professional learning of intercultural teaching in and through reflective practice, at Cultnet annual meeting.
2024 26-28 March Essentialist Challenges in Intercultural Teaching for Diversity in Practice, at the International Association of Intercultural Education Conference.
2023 8 March A Case Study of a Pre-service Language Teacher's Classroom Practice of Intercultural Language Teaching: Challenges in Knowledge Building, Language, Culture, Matters seminar series, Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick
2022 13 July Managing Linguistic Landscape Signs: Multilingualism in leaflets in Coventry Central Library, EUROTPIA Multilingualism and Diversity Student Conference
2022 22-23 April How can we teach culture in ELT classrooms? An intercultural perspective on English language teaching and learning, ELT Research in Action Conference (online), Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
