Dear TIRF Supporters, This month, I am delighted to share wonderful news that speaks to both the generosity of our global community and the growing confidence in TIRF’s mission. Earlier in November, TIRF received a transformational gift of USD 100,000 from Mr. Ung Choi Kun of Macau. This contribution establishes
TIRF is pleased to share that sponsorship of our widely used Reference Lists—already available to institutions—has now officially been expanded to welcome individual sponsors as well. This development reflects TIRF’s commitment to broadening participation and offering more ways for passionate professionals, researchers, educators, and supporters to help sustain this valuable
As we reflect on the progress of 2025 and look ahead to the year ahead, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals and institutions that form the TIRF community. Whether you have supported our research initiatives, engaged in our professional programming, shared our messages, or simply
We are pleased to announce the 2025 TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Award (RMA) recipients! Now in its third year, the RMA program is designed to support new researchers and improve the quality of research undertaken by students in doctoral programs within the field of English language education on issues of
Dear TIRF Board Members and Supporters, In this month’s Chair’s Report, I would like to reflect on the life and legacy of an extraordinary scientist whom I had the privilege of meeting during my time at Stony Brook University, where I served as Vice President and Vice Provost for Global
Editor’s note: In this piece, we share information from ETS, regarding a current grant opportunity for doctoral research in language assessment. ETS is delighted to announce the call for applications for the 2026 TOEFL® Grant for Doctoral Research in Language Assessment. The grant is designed to support Ph.D. candidates whose dissertation
In a recent blog post authored by Dr. Christine Coombe, a TIRF Trustee and long-time leader in the TESOL community, TESOL International Association and TIRF offer a forward-looking view of how research will shape the future of English language teaching. The post explores commonalities between TESOL’s established Research Directions —
This year marks the 24th 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), Duolingo, and the TOEFL® program at ETS – along with many
Dear TIRF Board Members and Supporters, This month, I had the privilege of delivering the welcome remarks at a symposium titled “Cultivating Global Competitiveness: Technological Innovation and the Development of Postgraduate Education in Macao.” Organized by our Graduate Student Association at the School of Education, the event featured speakers from Macau, Hong
Editor’s note: In this piece, we share information about a doctoral award opportunity from Duolingo. The story below has been adapted for the purposes of TIRF communications. The call for applications is currently open for the Duolingo English Test Dissertation Research Awards, which support dissertation research by doctoral candidates specializing
Editor’s note: We are excited to update our supporters about recent recognition TIRF Vice President Suzanne Panferov Reese received from the University of Arizona, where she is Professor in the College of Humanities. The original story appeared on the University of Arizona’s website. We are pleased to share that TIRF
The nomination window for the 2026 TIRF James E. Alatis Prize for Research in Language Policy and Planning in Educational Contexts is closing soon. All proposals must be submitted by October 5, 2025. As in past years, for the 2026 program, a prize of $500 will be awarded for an
TIRF’s Board of Trustees met online via Zoom in September 2025 to review progress and plan for the year ahead. President Jun Liu highlighted recent successes, including the most recent TIRF Presidential Society Fellow. TIRF committee and working group members shared updates on key initiatives. For example, the AI Working
The 2025 TESOL-TIRF Research Symposium, held online from June through September, successfully united educators, researchers, and graduate students worldwide under the theme “Where Curiosity Meets Collaboration.” This fully virtual event provided a dynamic platform for participants to delve into classroom-based research and evidence-informed practices across four thematic strands: classroom-based research
