This year marks the 23rd consecutive year TIRF has offered its Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs)  to doctoral candidates around the world. With the support of our partners – the British Council, Cambridge English (part of the Cambridge University Press & Assessment), and the TOEFL® program at ETS – along with many individual donors – TIRF has recently completed the process of awarding a total of US $40,000. The funds were distributed among 13 grantees, who are from Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Ireland, Lebanon, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Tunisia, USA, and Uzbekistan.

Including the funding for this year’s grantees, TIRF has awarded more than US $500,000 via its DDG program to 208 individuals from approximately 30 countries. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the donors who have supported our grant-making efforts to help deserving junior scholars. In particular, we want to acknowledge those individuals who have contributed to TIRF’s Russell N. Campbell fund (including those who recently donated to TIRF’s Russell N. Campbell Endowment Campaign). This particular grant is awarded to the highest-rated DDG applicant each year.

We are very pleased to announce the 2024 class of TIRF DDG recipients. Below you will find brief bio statements for each of this year’s grantees, as well as information about their research, their home countries, and the particular TIRF Research Topic(s) each study addresses. Information about the recipients of the 2024 DDG awards has been posted to our website (select the “Recipients” tab and use the drop-down menu to select “2024″).

2024 DDG Awardees

Name & Bio: Aicha Rahal is a doctoral student at Pazmany Peter Catholic
University, Hungary, as well as a researcher in linguistics celebrating a
decade of research (2014-2024). Her scholarly interests include language
pedagogy, sociolinguistics, language policy, and psycholinguistics. She is the
author of many research papers and of two forthcoming books on language
acquisition, as well as the co-editor of the book World Englishes and Language Assessment. She was a former online teacher assistant with the U.S. Department of State and the University of Oregon. In addition, Aicha was the laureate of the Africa Award, Liverpool 2019.
Home Country: Tunisia
Dissertation Title: Language Policies in
Tunisian Higher Education: Teachers’ and Students’ Language Use and Perceptions
Regarding the Status of English
TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Language Planning & Policy; (2) English as a Medium of Instruction
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Andrea Fischer, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church & Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary
Name & Bio: Anastasiia (Asya) Gorlova is a doctoral candidate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the University of Arizona. Her dissertation explores the knowledge, experiences, and ideologies of ESL teachers in adult refugee and
migrant-serving programs across the US. Based on her research, she will develop
evidence-based training materials to support teachers and enhance learning for refugee and migrant English learners.
Home Country: Russia
Dissertation Title: Teacher Knowledge, Perspectives, and Practices in Community-Based English Language Programs for Refugees and Migrants in the US
TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1)
Migrants & Refugees; (2) Language Teacher Education
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Beatrice Dupuy, University of Arizona
Name & Bio: Dildora Khakimova is a Ph.D. candidate in Teaching and Teacher Education at George Mason University. Her research interests include intercultural competence, internationalization of education, online learning, and multimodal translanguaging. Her research focuses on examining EFL teachers’ attitudes and
practices related to and understanding of translanguaging in multilingual contexts.
Home Country: Uzbekistan
Dissertation Title: Exploring English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ Attitudes towards and Uses of Translanguaging in Uzbekistan: A Mixed-Methods Study
TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1)
Language Planning & Policy; (2) Language Teacher Education; (3) Plurilingualism in Business, Industry, the Professions, and Educational Contexts
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Joan Kang Shin, George Mason University
Name & Bio: Gavin O’Neill is an Assistant Professor at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan. He is pursuing his PhD in Education at Temple University, Japan Campus. In his dissertation, Gavin explores the barriers that professionals and fledgling academics from developing countries face when trying to gain access
to and participate in the scholarly communities in their fields of interest.
Home Country: Ireland
Dissertation Title: Gaining Access to an International Discourse Community: Determinants of Ability to Work with Sources Among International Graduate Students
TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1)
Language Planning & Policy; (2) English Medium Instruction
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Diane Pecorari University of Leeds, UK
Name & Bio: Inoussa Malgoubri is a doctoral candidate in Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. His dissertation examines culturally sustaining pedagogy and arts-based learning in English language education for multilingual learners in Burkina Faso. His research seeks to equip teachers with innovative approaches that foster engagement and
inclusivity in postcolonial, multilingual settings, promoting equitable
learning experiences.
Home Country: Burkina Faso
Dissertation Title: Empowering Multilingual Learners through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and Arts-Based Learning in Burkina Faso
TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Language Planning & Policy; (2) Research
on Revitalization of Endangered Indigenous Languages
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Theresa Catalano, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Name & Bio: Jieun Kim is a Ph.D. candidate in Second Language Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, focusing on language testing. She taught English in Korea and received her MA from Seoul National University. Her dissertation examines the effects of
different note-taking modes (handwriting versus typing) on L2 learners’ listening comprehension and contents of notes (e.g., word count, translanguaging).
Home Country: South Korea
Dissertation Title: Handwritten Versus Typed Notes: The Impact of Note-Taking Modes in Second Language Listening Tests
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Language Assessment
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Daniel Isbell,
University of Hawai’I Mānoa
Name & Bio: John Wayne N. dela Cruz is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Studies –
Language Acquisition at McGill University. For his dissertation, John investigates the plurilingual identities and practices of fellow Filipino immigrants in the French-speaking city of Montréal in Canada. His research aims to legitimize and center the plurilingual voices and experiences of immigrant learners in additional language education.
Home Country: Philippines
Dissertation Title: From Assimilation to Integration: Legitimizing Immigrant Learners’ Plurilingualism in Canadian Second Language Education
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Plurilingualism in Business, Industry, the Professions, and Educational Contexts
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Angelica Galante, McGill University
Name & Bio: Lana F. Zeaiter is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Studies at McGill
University, Canada. With over a decade of experience teaching English and
French as additional and foreign languages, her Ph.D. research employs
innovative methodologies to explore the training of language teacher candidates
in technology-mediated plurilingualism. You can find her full research profile
on her academic website: www.lanazeaiter.ca.
Home Country: Lebanon
Dissertation Title: Towards Educational Reform: Examining the Ecological Dynamics of Technology-Mediated Plurilingual (TMP) in Language Teacher Education
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Plurilingualism in Business, Industry, the Professions, and Educational Contexts
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Angelica Galante, McGill University
Name & Bio: Leigh Anne Benzaia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Linguistics Department at the University of Utah, specializing in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and forensic linguistics. Her research takes a mixed-methods approach to explore how formerly incarcerated and gang-affiliated L2 English speakers, particularly L1 Spanish speakers, comprehend U.S. constitutional rights, including Miranda warnings. Her dissertation assesses Miranda warning comprehension among immigrant and formerly incarcerated individuals, using predictive models based on English proficiency and qualitative error analysis to meet U.S. court evidence standards.
Home Country: USA
Dissertation Title: Evaluating Miranda Rights Comprehension Among Immigrant and Formerly Incarcerated Populations: A
Quantitative and Qualitative Investigation into Native and Nonnative English-Speakers’ Understanding of their Constitutional Rights
TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Language Assessment; (2) Migrants and
Refugees: Teaching and Assessing English
Doctoral Supervisors: Prof. MaryAnn Christison, University of Utah & Dr. Scott Jarvis, Northern Arizona University
Name & Bio: Liberato Silva dos Santos is a doctoral candidate in applied linguistics and technology at Iowa State University. His dissertation investigates the scoring decision processes of raters judging the pronunciation of L2 English speakers in a
paired discussion task. His work has been presented in conferences such as LTRC, LARC, TSLL, CALICO, TESOL International, BRAZ-TESOL, New Directions, and SEMAPLE.
Home Country: Brazil
Dissertation Title: Pronunciation in a
Paired-Discussion Task: A Mixed-Methods Study of Rater Judgements and Rater and
Test Taker Perceptions
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Language Assessment
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Gary Ockey,
Iowa State University
Name & Bio: Rickey Larkin is a PhD candidate in Second Language Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In his dissertation, Rickey takes an autoethnographic approach in examining language policy and planning at Benguet State University (BSU), located in the Cordilleras, Philippines. Specifically, he
positions his work to contribute to BSU’s explicit goals of internationalization and incorporating Indigenous values.
Home Country: USA
Dissertation Title: Mountains Under Water: Autoethnography through Language Policy and Planning in the Cordilleras
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Language Planning and Policy
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Christina Higgins, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Name & Bio: Shishi Zhang (TIRF’s 2024 Russell N. Campbell DDG Awardee), is a Ph.D. Candidate at University College London. Her Ph.D. project is on assessment of second language pragmatic competence in the spoken medium for intercultural communication in the academic domain. The project specifically targets U.K. pre-sessional students and draws on the Socio-Cognitive Framework for test development and validation.
Home Country:
China
Dissertation Title: Assessing Second Language Pragmatic Competence for Intercultural Communication: The Case of Pre-sessional Students in UK Higher Education
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Language Assessment
Doctoral Supervisor: Prof. Talia Isaacs
University College London
Name & Bio: Xiaoxiao Kong is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests include language assessments for professional purposes and test validation. Her Ph.D. project investigates the language demands of early childhood and school teachers in Australia, and the appropriacy of currently approved English proficiency tests for teacher registration purposes.
Home Country: China
Dissertation Title: Exploring the Language and Communication Demands of Early Childhood and School Teachers in Australia: Implications for Language Assessment for Teacher Registration
TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Language Assessment
Doctoral Supervisors: Associate Professor Jason Fan, University of Melbourne &
Professor Ute Knoch, University of Melbourne

We also wish to note that the 2024 TIRF DDG Honorable Mention distinction has been awarded to three individuals this year. Although this distinction does not involve a monetary award, we would like to recognize the outstanding work of these doctoral candidates:

  • Fatimah Aseeri (Iowa State University): Judging a Book by Its Cover: Investigating the Influence of Test Takers’ Physical Attractiveness in Synchronous Oral Communication Assessments
  • Hyun-Bin Hwang (Michigan State University): The Impact of Out-of-Class App Engagement on Young Learners’ English Proficiency Development: A Longitudinal Study in an EFL Context
  • Youngsun Moon (University of California, Irvine): English Spelling Development of Monolingual and Bilingual Children: Exploring Various Factors and Evaluative Approaches

Please join us in congratulating this year’s DDG awardees and honorable mentionees!!