News

TIRF DDG recipients

Recipients and Findings

The Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) was held online this year from June 14 to 17, and as has been the custom for several years, TIRF was represented there. At the awards ceremony, plaques were given to seven TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant (DDG) recipients – five 2019 TIRF DDG recipients and two 2020 awardees. (Since last year’s LTRC event was cancelled due to the pandemic, recognizing the 2019 grantees was not possible.)

2026 TIRF Bailey Award Proposal Window Opens Today!

We are pleased to announce the opening of TIRF’s 2026 Kathleen M. Bailey Teacher-Research Award (hereafter, the “TIRF Bailey Award”). Recipients of the TIRF Bailey Award will receive $1,000 and will have an opportunity to receive mentoring services from the Foundation. The TIRF Bailey Award is meant to recognize Dr.

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TIRF’s Activities at Upcoming 2026 TESOL Convention 

The 2026 TESOL Convention & Expo is arriving next month! In this piece, we highlight our activities at the upcoming convention taking place in Salt Lake City, USA. TIRF will host its spring Board meeting on Tuesday, March 24th. The TIRF Board meetings brings together the majority of Trustees in

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Chair’s Report, By Jun Liu – Moving Beyond Business as Usual

Dear TIRF Supporters, As many of you know, my day job is serving as a university president. I am constantly mindful of the mounting challenges facing higher education and the uncertain future of universities. Traditional notions of excellence are increasingly shaped—and constrained—by global rankings, while relentless pressure for research productivity

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Save the Dates: TESOL & AAAL 2026 Conferences Are Coming Soon!

We are pleased to share key details for two major events in 2026 that bring our field together for research, practice, and professional growth. TESOL 2026 International Convention & Expo AAAL 2026 Annual Conference Whether you are presenting research, strengthening connections, or gaining fresh insights, both gatherings offer dynamic opportunities

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TIRF Awardee Map Updated

To bring the “I” in TIRF—International—to life, we update the TIRF Awardee Map each year following the announcement of our newest grant and award recipients. This interactive Google Maps resource highlights where TIRF-supported scholars are originally from around the world (i.e., their hometowns) and reflects the growing global reach of

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TIRF’s 2026 DDG Program Underway

The application window for TIRF’s 2026 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) program is now open. The Foundation’s flagship program is designed to provide awards for doctoral students nearing the completion of their studies. There are two different types of DDGs offered from TIRF and its partners this year. Once again, we

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Thank You for Making TIRF’s Annual Appeal a Success

We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported TIRF during our 2025 year-end appeal. Thanks to the generosity of our global community, the campaign was a wonderful success—raising $16,000 from supporters worldwide, with an additional $11,000 contributed by TIRF Trustees through their matching gifts—totaling $27,000 to help fund TIRF’s programs

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TIRF DDG Fellows to Host Mentoring Webinars

(Updated February 17, 2026: Two webinar recordings are available on TIRF’s website—the morning session and the evening session.) We’re pleased to invite you to TIRF’s 2026 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) Fellows Mentoring Webinars—a valuable opportunity for potential applicants and their supervisors—to hear directly from TIRF DDG awardees, gain practical guidance

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New TIRF Research Topic: Artificial Intelligence

We are pleased to announce the approval of a new TIRF Research Topic—Artificial Intelligence (AI)—now published on the Foundation’s website. This new topic reflects the rapidly growing influence of AI across language teaching, learning, assessment, and research, and responds to increasing global interest from educators, researchers, institutions, and policymakers. AI-enabled

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There’s Still Time to Make a Difference This Year

This note is our final appeal as we approach the close of 2025. There is still time to make a year-end contribution to TIRF—and every donation made before December 31st will continue to be matched dollar for dollar by our Trustees, up to $11,000. Click here to donate today. Your

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TIRF’s 2026 DDG Program Opens Today

We are pleased to announce the opening of TIRF’s 2026 Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDG) competition. The commencement of the current DDG program offering marks the 25th consecutive year the Foundation will make awards to help support doctoral students around the world. There are two different types of DDGs offered from

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Celebrating Our Community of Reference List Sponsors – Get Involved Today!

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

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