Editor’s note: Dr. Ching-Ni Hsieh is a 2010 recipient of a TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant. She works at Educational Testing Services (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey as a Senior Research Project Manager. In this piece, TIRF interviews Dr. Hsieh about ETS’ TOEFL® English-language Researcher/Practitioner Grant Program.
TIRF: Dr. Hsieh, we here at TIRF were very excited to hear about the ETS Researcher/Practitioner Grant Program. Please tell us about it. When did it start and what is its purpose?
Dr. Hsieh: The TOEFL Researcher/Practitioner Grant program started in 2013. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for English language educators to become involved in research projects and to develop professionally.
TIRF: This focus is wonderful and very much in line with TIRF’s mission. How many grants have been given to date?
Dr. Hsieh: A total of 18 grants has been given since the inception of the program. The recipients represent English language educators from 15 countries.
TIRF: That is tremendous international representation. What advice would you give teachers who might be interested in applying for an ETS Practitioner Grant?
Dr. Hsieh: Teachers who are interested in applying for the TOEFL Researcher/Practitioner Grant should demonstrate a good understanding of the purposes of the grant program. They should also present a solid plan for carrying out the proposed project. The key to a successful proposal is to clearly describe the instructional contexts in a way that helps grant reviewers evaluate the feasibility of the proposed project.
TIRF: We appreciate your time in doing this short interview with us. We also want to thank ETS for providing these grants to individuals in our field.
The deadline to apply for this ETS grant opportunity is September 30th. To learn more about the ETS Researcher/Practitioner Grant Program, please click here.
