meet the students

 

Currently we have 22 doctoral students pursuing the SLA degree in FLARE. One-third of them have been recipients of awards (some more than one award), including the Presidential Graduate Fellowship, the Ballard Seashore Dissertation Year Fellowship, the Graduate College Summer Fellowship, the T. Anne Cleary International Dissertation Research Fellowship, and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (all UI fellowships).

 

All of our students (with the exception of those who are A.B.D. and have taken full-time jobs) have funding to support their degree work. The majority serve as teaching assistants in a language department (i.e., Spanish & Portuguese, Asian & Slavic Languages & Literatures, and German). Others have worked for the Language Media Center, the Confucius Institute, International Programs, the UI Center for Teaching, or directly for the FLARE/SLA program. We encourage students to pursue a variety of work experiences, including language teaching, technology support, and research.

 

Please meet our FLARE students!

 

 

Language Program Direction Track

 

John Balong
Hometown: Information coming soon.
Previous degrees: Information coming soon.
Research interests: Information coming soon.

 

Elizabeth Deifell
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
Previous degrees: M.A. Spanish, University of Wisconsin-Madison; B.A. Latin American Studies and Spanish, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill.
Research interests: Elizabeth’s research interests include L2 digital writing, the use of online tools during the writing process and vocabulary development. Her thesis project examines L2 writers’ patterns of engagement with digital tools and texts when they are writing about literary texts in a fifth semester literature course in Spanish. Other current projects involve language learners’ use of online dictionaries and the intersections of Google-assisted language learning, SLA and pedagogy. She has presented research on the examination of discourse, authority and community in the online dictionary www.wordreference.com.

 

Chiemi Hanzawa
Hometown: Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
Previous degrees: B.A. in Language and Culture (Japanese and Chinese)- Osaka University of Foreign Studies; M.A. in Asian Civilization (Teaching Japanese as a foreign language)- The University of Iowa
Research interests: My research interests are discourse analysis and pragmatics in SLA in Japanese. I have conducted several research projects focusing on listener behaviors by native speakers and learners of Japanese. Short responses by the listener such as ‘un’ or ‘ee’ are called aizuchi (backchannel in English) and Japanese people are known to use them frequently in conversation. I have been interested in how learners of Japanese acquire native-like aizuchi use and also how learners’ behaviors are perceived by native speakers of Japanese.

 

Yi-Tzu Huang
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: nformation is coming up soon.
Research interests: Information coming soon.

 

Brianna Janssen-Sánchez
Hometown: Mattoon, IL
Previous degrees: M.A. in Spanish (Specialization in instructional technology foreign language teaching methodology); B.A. International Trade and Spanish, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Research interests: My research interests include computer-mediated communication, specifically text and video chat between native speakers and non-native speakers. I like to look specifically at development of language, communication strategies and skills as well as development of intercultural communicative competence and adaptation through computer-mediated interactions. I am also interested in other aspects of computer assisted language learning and language pedagogy including web based and blended learning, design of materials and foreign language teaching methodology.

 

Katharina Kley
Hometown: Koenigsee, Germany
Previous degrees: M.A. in German Studies with a minor in Language Pedagogy, University of Arizona; M.A. in Teaching German as a Foreign Language, Communication and American Studies, University of Leipzig, Germany.
Research interests: My research interests are in language testing and assessment, especially in testing second language speaking and vocabulary. I am also interested in alternative testing methods and the relationship between instruction and assessment. Additionally, my research focuses on language pedagogy and specifically on teaching German. At the moment, I am working on a project that looks at the microskills German teaching assistants need in the classroom and at the relationship between instructors’ oral proficiency and effective teaching skills. My dissertation project is on the notion of interactional competence and how features thereof can be described across various speaking tasks and contexts as well as oral proficiency levels.

 

Olga Kulikova
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Karen Leonard
Hometown: Albert Lea, MN
Previous degrees: M.A. in Spanish, Loyola University, Chicago; B.A. in Spanish and Sociology, Northwestern College, IA.
Research interests: Karen is interested in the development of listening and speaking skills in L2 learners of Spanish, and she is currently working on a project examining the relationship between decoding and comprehension in listening. Her interests also include second language assessment.

 

Chie Muramatsu
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Chen-Hui Tsai
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Zhengwei Qiao
Hometown: Qingdao, a seaside city in the north part of China
Previous degrees: M.A. in Linguistics, University of Iowa; M.A. in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China.
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Raychel Vasseur
Hometown: Wall, NJ
Previous degrees: M.A. Foreign literature and pedagogy (concentrating in Spanish studies), University of Delaware; B.A. Spanish studies, University of Delaware.
Research interests: I wrote my M.A. thesis on second language vocabulary recall. I am currently working on a replication study on the effects of restricting the L1 in the L2 classroom while learners are working on consciousness-raising, form-focused tasks. I am also interested in the intersection of second language acquisition and foreign language pedagogy, affective variables and identities in the foreign language classroom.

 

Li Yang
Hometown: Zhengzhou city, Henan Province, China
Previous degrees: M.A. Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Beijing Language and Culture University, China; B.A. Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, Beijing Language and Culture University, China.
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Name Lastname
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

 

 

Lingustics Track

 

Vera Grabitzky
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Tania Leal Méndez
Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
Previous degrees: B.A. in Vocal Performance and Music History, The University of Southern Mississippi; M.A. in Teaching Languages (Spanish and ESL), The University of Southern Mississippi.
Research interests: Tania’s research interests are generative second language acquisition, specifically the acquisition of properties at the syntax-discourse interface, and psycholinguistics. Presently, she investigates of the acquisition of Spanish linguistics properties (P-movement and Clitic Left Dislocation (CLLD), specifically), by L2 learners who are native speakers of English. Additionally, Tania is particularly interested in examining the different processing patterns for L1ers and L2ers. She is also working on a project examining prosodic patterns in the production of different word orders (related to expression of Information Structure) in different groups of native Spanish speakers.

 

Elena Shimanskaya
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: M.A. in Linguistic Theory, Syracuse University, NY.
Research interests: Currently a fourth year PhD student in FLARE (Foreign Language Acquisition Research and Education) I am primarily interested in the acquisition of L2 morphosyntax. My undergraduate diploma is from Russia, where I was trained as a linguist and a language teacher (French and English). After having spent one year in France (Nimes) I started studying linguistics in the US and received my MA with the concentration in Linguistic Theory from Syracuse University, NY. I got interested in SLA because I have always wanted to know more about how people learn foreign/second languages. Being a student at the University of Iowa allows me to do both: learn how to conduct SLA research while at the same time learn about various L2 teaching methods and approaches and continue teaching French.

 

Rajiv Ranjan
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: B.A. in English Literature, Patna University, Patna, India; M.Phil. in Linguistics, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, India; M.A. in LInguistics The University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

 

 

Technology Track

 

 

Lyudmila Klimanova
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Marta Tecedor Cabrero
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.

 

Name Lastname
Hometown: information is coming up soon
Previous degrees: information is coming up soon
Research interests: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aenean viverra mi erat. Donec feugiat rutrum sapien id aliquam. Integer luctus posuere suscipit. Vestibulum eu fringilla neque. Suspendisse ut eleifend odio. Quisque egestas mollis faucibus. Proin tristique turpis vel quam molestie dignissim. Suspendisse ipsum augue, vulputate quis tincidunt ut, pulvinar nec nibh. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Morbi vel sapien nulla. Donec id tincidunt diam. Aenean feugiat metus vel dolor porttitor feugiat. Nullam metus enim, interdum id euismod pulvinar, gravida congue orci.