Resource Library

The twelfth volume in the “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English” was released in May 2026. Research on Language Learning and Teaching in Digital Spaces is co-produced with Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

As digital tools continue to reshape educational practice around the world, this volume brings together research from internationally recognized TESOL scholars, including several TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant (DDG) recipients. The chapters examine how learners and educators engage with digital spaces such as online learning platforms, social media, virtual reality, messaging applications, gaming environments, and AI-supported learning tools. Together, they highlight how these technologies can foster collaboration, digital literacy, learner engagement, and meaningful language development across a variety of educational settings.

Like the previous volumes in the TIRF-Routledge series, this book reflects TIRF’s commitment to connecting research, policy, and practice in English language education. By showcasing rigorous, internationally relevant scholarship, the series provides educators, researchers, graduate students, and policymakers with timely insights into the issues shaping the future of the profession.

This volume is co-edited by TIRF Trustee Dr. Polina Vinogradova (Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and TESOL Program Director, American University) and Dr. Heather A. Linville (Professor and Chair of Educational Studies at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse). Click here to learn more information about this book, including how to order.

This publication presents research on the practice of integrating content and language in diverse contexts where English is used as a medium of instruction. With chapters written by TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant awardees and other scholars, the volume offers an overview of a wide range of methodological approaches to teaching content in English to English learners and examines factors that impede or contribute to effective instruction. The chapters include findings from original empirical research, as well as overviews of existing research and model programs, providing valuable insights and taking into account a multitude of contextual features.

Offering up-to-date research on integrating language and content at the primary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, this book familiarizes readers with the latest advances in theory and practice. It is a key text for teacher education courses for preservice teachers, a resource for professional development programs for practicing teachers, and a useful reference for researchers.

Research on Integrating Language and Content in Diverse Contexts is the latest volume in the TIRF-Routledge “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English” series. The book is the ninth volume in the “Global Research” series.

Three long-time TIRF Trustees collaborated to compile the volume. MaryAnn Christison, Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics and the Urban Institute for Teacher Education at the University of Utah; JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall, Professor Emerita and former Director of the Language, Literacy, and Culture Ph.D. Program and Co-Director of the MA TESOL Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and Donna Christian, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, D.C. are the co-editors of Research on Integrating Content and Language in Diverse Contexts.

TIRF would like to acknowledge the contributions of all the authors and editors. We are grateful for their scholarship and dedication to furthering research in our field, as well as for agreeing to forego any royalties or honoraria, so that any profits may be used for TIRF initiatives.

To learn more about the volume, including how to purchase a copy, please click here.

Empowering Learners & Educators: English for Career Readiness

In today’s rapidly evolving job market, English proficiency has become a crucial asset for career success. Whether in business, technology, healthcare, or academia, professionals around the world rely on English to collaborate, innovate, and communicate effectively.

Context: The demand for English in the workplace extends beyond technical knowledge. Research shows that employers highly value soft skills—such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability—alongside language proficiency. Equipping learners with both linguistic and interpersonal skills is essential for their long-term career development.

Dive in (one-minute read)

What the Research Says: English is the world’s predominant lingua franca, with millions of professionals using it daily to engage in global business and academic discourse. However, success in the workplace requires more than fluency; it calls for intercultural competence, critical thinking, and the ability to collaborate across diverse teams.

Why it Matters: As industries evolve, so do employer expectations. Professionals need to navigate complex, multicultural work environments where effective communication is key. Integrating soft skills into English language education prepares learners to meet these challenges and thrive in their careers.

What’s Next: Governments, businesses, and educators increasingly recognize the importance of embedding career readiness into English language instruction. Schools and training programs are adapting curricula to develop not only language proficiency but also the soft skills essential for professional success.

Read the Report: In this latest TIRF Insights paper from TIRF and National Geographic Learning, author Chia Suan Chong explores the intersection of English proficiency and career readiness. She highlights how educators can integrate soft skills into language learning to better prepare students for the workforce. Complete the form at the link below to download the paper.

Calls to Action: Use these discussion questions to explore how career readiness can be integrated into English language education:

1. How does English proficiency impact career opportunities in different industries?
2. What soft skills are most valuable for professionals in global workplaces? How can these be cultivated in English language learning?
3. How can educators design lessons that blend language development with real-world communication and problem-solving skills?
4. What challenges do learners face when using English in professional settings? How can schools and training programs better support them?
5. How can employers and educators collaborate to ensure that English language education aligns with workforce needs?

About TIRF Insights: “TIRF Insights” profiles recent research in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) in a practical and accessible format. Our publications are written for parents, teachers, school leaders, and all student advocates who want to review recent educational trends in a nonacademic way. This paper on English for Career Readiness is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish.

TIRF Insights: Social and Emotional Learning is available in four languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), English, and Spanish.

This paper, authored by Katherine (Kath) Stannett, investigates social and emotional learning (SEL) against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent disrupted education and learning loss.

Recent research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to disrupted education, learning loss, and the wide-scale use of hybrid and online teaching and learning. The pandemic has also revealed and underscored a need to address not only students’ academic skills but also their social and emotional skills.

This paper is made available to the public for free. Use these links to access the publication:

• Arabic
• Chinese (Simplified)
• English
• Spanish

TIRF is pleased to have worked with author Kath Stannett, an England-based teacher trainer and materials writer, and in collaboration with Laureate International Universities and National Geographic Learning, to produce this first paper in the “TIRF Insights” series. This series was formerly known as “TIRF Language Education in Review.”

Via “TIRF Insights,” the Foundation profiles recent research in the field of English Language Teaching in a practical and accessible format. Our publication is written for parents, teachers, school leaders, and all student advocates who want to review recent educational trends in a nonacademic way.

Click here to download the English version of TIRF Insights: Social Emotional Learning.

Beyond the Classroom: Mobile Learning the Wider World

For the main page, click here.

Ken Beatty, Professor of TESOL, Anaheim University

Executive Summary: Mobile learning has extended opportunities for making teaching and learning available beyond the traditional classroom. Associated technologies, software programs, and internet access have enfranchised many students who previously had little access to quality teaching. However, a paradigm shift has occurred in which learners are turning to new mobile learning opportunities to supplant traditional teaching as virtual extensions of earlier self-help books, phrase books, and audio-based language learning programs. Audio translation apps, augmented reality, and just-in-time learning approaches are providing alternatives to those with neither access nor time to learn a language. This paper examines the theoretical underpinnings of a range of technologies and applications, contrasting them with the traditional classroom and imagining the future of mobile language teaching and learning and the impact it will have on policymakers, teachers, employers, and learners.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Leonardo A. Mercado, Academic Director, Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano (ICPNA), Peru

Read Leonardo A. Mercado’s discussion of this paper by clicking here.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Joyce Wangia, Director, Centre for Institutional Based Programmes, Kenyatta University, Kenya

Read Joyce Wangia’s discussion of this paper by clicking here.

Terms of Use and Disclaimer: TIRF is providing this information as a service to our constituents, and no endorsement by TIRF of the ideas presented in this paper is intended or implied. The information is made available free of charge and may be shared, with proper attribution. However, the papers may not be reprinted without express written permission from TIRF.

In March 2014, TIRF released its first ever book-length publication. Teaching and Learning English in the Arabic-Speaking World is co-published by TIRF and Routledge/Taylor & Francis. This book is the first in the series entitled, “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English.”

Co-edited by Kathi Bailey (TIRF President & Chairman of the Board of Trustees) and Ryan Damerow (TIRF’s Executive Assistant), this volume includes contributions from TIRF’s Sheikh Nahayan Fellows and several individuals who were instrumental in developing the relationship between the Foundation and Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan. The book is dedicated to Sheikh Nahayan, as he was the person responsible for funding the Sheikh Nahayan Fellowships. We remain ever grateful for his support.

For more information about the book, including how to order, please click here. Please note that all royalties earned from the sale of the book will be donated to TIRF to help fund our programs.

TIRF’s 2017 commissioned study is titled, Online Language Teacher Education: Participants’ Experiences and Perspectives. This paper is a follow-up study to TIRF’s 2013 study, A Case for Online English Language Teacher Education (see below for further information).  

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the co-authors of this study, Dr. Denise Murray (Professor Emerita at Maquarie University, Sydney, Australia & at San José State University, San José, California, USA) and Dr. MaryAnn Christison (Professor, Department of Linguistics and the Urban Institute for Teacher Education at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah). This research investigates the experiences and perceptions of students and instructors in OLTE courses and programs.

• Click here to download the paper.
• To download the Executive Summary, click here.

Mobile Learning for Languages: Can the Past Speak to the Future?

For the main paper, click here.

John Traxler, Professor of Mobile Learning and Learning Lab Director, University of Wolverhampton

Executive Summary: This paper explores the past decade of mobile learning projects, policies, research, and conceptualising and asks about its relevance to the future as it might apply to language learning. The paper provides a very broad categorization of mobile learning in order to identify pedagogic possibilities for language learning, but it moves on to ask about the changing nature and authority of language and learning. There are nevertheless practical lessons to be learnt.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Shannon Sauro, Associate Professor, Department of Culture, Languages & Media, Malmö University, Sweden

Read the discussion by clicking here.

Discussion of this paper provided by: David L. Chiesa, US Department of State – Senior English Language Fellow, Coordinator, Beijing Normal University, China

Read the discussion by clicking here.

Terms of Use and Disclaimer: TIRF is providing this information as a service to our constituents, and no endorsement by TIRF of the ideas presented in this paper is intended or implied. The information is made available free of charge and may be shared, with proper attribution. However, the papers may not be reprinted without express written permission from TIRF.

Confronting Climate Change Education in ELT

Our world faces a number of challenges, and for many people, the most serious global issue is climate change, driven by the unsustainable use of the planet’s resources. But what does climate change have to do with English language teaching (ELT)?

At first glance, ELT might have little to do with environmental concerns. However, there are convincing reasons for ELT professionals to integrate sustainability into their teaching.

Context: As our world is globally interconnected, many national and international education frameworks underscore the need for young people to become global citizens who take action. Pioneering educators in the field of sustainable development are leading the way in preparing young people to become the global citizens of the future.

Climate Change Education, or CCE, is the education sector’s response to the growing global concern for global warming. Sustainability is steadily becoming a focus of education in science syllabi, through student-based action, and as part of national curricula.

Implications: ELT instructors can play a key role in helping students develop language skills to participate in the climate change debate. Preparing learners to be a part of this ongoing conversation and to act with informed awareness is the very basis of education. Bringing climate change discussions into the ELT classroom will help students develop their voices for sustainability discussions outside of class.

What’s Next: The science of global warming is clear. As climate change awareness increases globally, we can expect to see a much greater focus on climate action in all areas of life, including English language education.

Read the Report:  In this report from TIRF and National Geographic Learning (NGL), author Daniel Barber details how stakeholders in ELT are confronting issues involved in CCE. This paper is available in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), English, and Spanish. Complete the form at the following link to download the paper:

About the “TIRF Insights” Series: The “TIRF Insights” Series profiles recent research in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) in a practical and accessible format. Our publications are written for parents, teachers, school leaders, and all student advocates who want to review recent educational trends in a nonacademic way. TIRF is pleased to be working with NGL on this important endeavor.

Calls to Action: To promote further exploration and discussion for you and your colleagues on the issues raised in the TIRF Insights: Climate Change Education paper, here are some questions to guide a conversation around the topic of CCE.

1. What role does climate change currently play in our students’ lives? How can we support students in learning more in a supportive atmosphere?
2. What are the most relevant and impactful environmental issues that affect the learners’ local area and home country? How can we raise awareness of these issues and the part our leaners might play in tackling them?
3. Which cultural factors arise when discussing climate change in our classrooms? Is there more we can do to support one another to handle these cultural sensitivities?
4. What misgivings do we have regarding the adoption of CCE? Lack of training? Uncertainty around content that could be seen as political? Our own climate anxiety? What support could be helpful in overcoming these obstacles?
5. What climate education projects would our students and our school like to take part in? What actions might benefit students, parents, the school, and the local community.

We are pleased to announce the publication of its most recent commissioned paper entitled, English at Work: An Analysis of Case Reports about English Language Training for the 21st-century Workforce, which was co-authored by Anthony Fitzpatrick and Robert O’Dowd.

• Click here to download the paper. (For a printer-friendly version, click here.)
• To download a business-oriented summary, please click here.
• To download the executive summary, please click here.
• To browse and download case reports that were summarized in TIRF’s English at Work paper, go here.

This book is the eighth volume in the Global Research on Teaching and Learning English series, co-published with Routledge (Taylor & Francis). It brings together the latest developments in research on teaching English in under-resourced contexts across the world, offering a window into the complex challenges that these communities face. Recommendations from research and experience in well-resourced contexts are frequently not relevant or feasible in different circumstances. Contributors explore local and regional assets and challenges to provide a deeper understanding of the difficult issues that language learners and teachers must confront, and they provide insights to meet those challenges.

With chapters written by TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant awardees, the volume addresses the crucial and growing need for research-based conversations on the contexts, environments, and challenges of teaching English in areas of the world with limited resources, literacy levels or other constraints.

The volume includes sections on policy connections, teacher preparation, and practice insights. It is a useful resource for graduate students and teacher educators in language education, ESL/EFL education, and international education, and an enlightening reference for all readers with an interest in language education around the world.

To view the book, please click here.

Video Greeting from TIRF Trustee Michael Carrier

The use of mobile and handheld technology is growing exponentially in language education, and it is clear that much more research, project evaluation, and evidence-based analysis are needed to help us understand this new phenomenon. However, important questions remain about the efficacy of handheld devices in language learning.

What benefits do learners, teachers and school administrators derive from the use of mobile and handheld technology? What are the challenges and pitfalls? Can this technology be misapplied and waste precious resources?

With questions like these in mind, TIRF has commissioned six papers to explore the current state of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). It is our hope that these papers provide an accurate account of how MALL is impacting the landscape of English language education, and what challenges lie ahead for language learning teachers and students, administrators, business professionals, and others.

The following provides brief information about the five papers and the authors who wrote them. Click on any of the papers’ titles to read an executive summary of the paper, download the paper, and to view invited discussants’ comments on the authors’ papers. We would also very much like to have your reactions to our MALL papers. Please use the “Comment” function below or on the authors’ pages to provide any feedback you may have.

Terms of Use and Disclaimer: TIRF is providing this information as a service to our constituents, and no endorsement by TIRF of the ideas presented in this paper is intended or implied. The information is made available free of charge and may be shared, with proper attribution. However, the papers may not be reprinted without express written permission from TIRF.

Beyond the Classroom: Mobile Learning the Wider World

• Ken Beatty, Professor of TESOL, Anaheim University

Designer Learning: The Teacher as Designer of Mobile-based Classroom Learning Experiences

• Nicky Hockly, Director of Pedagogy, The Consultants-E

Re-skilling Language Learners for a Mobile World

• Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Professor of Learning Technology and Communication, The Open University

Some Emerging Principles for Mobile-assisted Language Learning

• Glenn Stockwell, Professor, Waseda University
• Philip Hubbard, Senior Lecturer and Director of English for Foreign Students, Stanford University Language Center

Is there Evidence for Differential Benefits between Mobile Devices Used for Self-access Learning as Opposed to Language Learning in the Classroom with the Teacher?

• Paul Sweeney, Founder and Director, Eduworlds Knowledge Ltd.

Mobile Learning for Languages: Can the Past Speak to the Future?

• John Traxler, Professor of Mobile Learning and Learning Lab Director, University of Wolverhampton

In February 2017, we released the fourth volume in the series entitled, “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English,” which is co-published with Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

This volume features a carefully balanced set of studies and practitioner research projects carried out in various learning contexts around the world. Digital Language Learning and Teaching highlights cutting-edge research in the use of digital learning technologies in language classrooms and in online learning. Providing an overview of recent developments in the application of educational technology to language learning and teaching, it looks at the experience of researchers and practitioners in both formal and informal (self-study) learning contexts, bringing readers up-to-date with this rapidly changing field and the latest developments in research, theory, and practice at both classroom and education system levels. The volume is co-edited by Michael Carrier (TIRF Trustee), Ryan M. Damerow (TIRF Chief Operating Officer), and Kathleen M. Bailey (TIRF President).

For more information about the book, including how to order, please click here. Please note that all royalties earned from the sale of the book will be donated to TIRF to help fund our programs.

The seventh volume in the “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English” features chapters with original research written by internationally recognized scholars and TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grant awardees. The volume addresses the crucial and growing need for research-based conversations on the contexts, environments, goals, and measures of success for Chinese-speaking learners of English. It includes sections on language assessment, perceptions in university contexts, and technology, especially in relation to young learners, in order to promote in-depth discussion of the teaching and learning of English for native speakers of Chinese.

The13 research-based chapters in Chinese-Speaking Learners of English: Research, Theory, and Practice discuss topics such as the impact and implications of using emerging assessment tools; the increase in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses; academic speaking and writing; and teaching in an online or hybrid environment. Throughout the book, the authors draw on their knowledge of their multiple contexts, as well as their learners’ needs and goals.

This volume is co-edited by Ryan Damerow, TIRF’s Chief Operating Officer, and Dr. Kathi Bailey, TIRF President is now available for purchase online.

TIRF’s 2013 commissioned study is titled, A Case for Online English Language Teacher Education. This paper investigates a range of online professional development opportunities offered by institutions around the world. We would like to recognize TIRF Trustee Dr. David Nunan and Anaheim University for their financial support of this report.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Denise Murray (Professor Emerita, Maquarie University, Sydney, Australia), principal author of this study, for her diligence and professionalism in conducting this research-based paper. This study is based on a series of eighteen case reports about online professional development opportunities for language teachers. We are especially thankful for the expertise of each of these eighteen contributors.

• Click here to download the paper. (For a printer-friendly version, click here.)
• To access and download the case reports utilized in this study, click here.

The sixth volume in the “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English” was released in February 2019. Global Perspectives on Language Assessment: Research, Theory, and Practice is co-produced with Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

This new book offers up-to-date research on the rapidly changing field of language assessment. The volume features original research with chapters reporting on a variety of international education settings from a range of diverse perspectives. Covering a broad range of key topics—including scoring processes, test development, and student and teacher perspectives—contributors offer a comprehensive overview of the landscape of language assessment and discuss the consequences and impact for learners, teachers, learning programs, and society. Focusing on the assessment of language proficiency, this volume provides an original compendium of cutting-edge research that will benefit TESOL and TEFL students, language assessment scholars, and language teachers

This volume is co-edited by TIRF Trustees Dr. Spiros Papageorgiou and Dr. Kathi Bailey. Click here to learn more information about this book, including how to order.

Re-skilling Language Learners for a Mobile World

For the main paper, click here.

Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Professor of Learning Technology and Communication, The Open University

Executive Summary: Ubiquitous access to mobile phones and other portable devices means that language learning increasingly straddles classroom-based learning and learning outside the classroom, in virtual spaces and out in the world. We know from studies of emergent learner-led practices that foreign language study can be enriched through easy access to resources selected to suit individual interests or needs. Yet learners’ choices seem largely determined by what they happen to come across, rather than knowledge about which language skills are best improved through mobile learning. Existing mobile applications often fail to exploit connections between life and learning. This paper suggests which language skills can be enhanced through mobile learning and how learner-technology interaction supports that development, particularly opportunities for learners to extend or practice their communication with others. The paper also suggests that new skills may be required in relation to the next generation of wearable devices and increasingly instrumented, technology-rich surroundings where use of mobile technology integrates with other tools, resources, and social networks that continue to challenge traditional knowledge and skills.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Richard Boyum, University Partnership and Grants Evaluation Coordinator for Afghanistan and Pakistan, US State Department, USA

Read the discussion by clicking here.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Sky Lantz-Wagner, ESL Instructor, University of Dayton, USA

Read the discussion by clicking here.

Terms of Use and Disclaimer: TIRF is providing this information as a service to our constituents, and no endorsement by TIRF of the ideas presented in this paper is intended or implied. The information is made available free of charge and may be shared, with proper attribution. However, the papers may not be reprinted without express written permission from TIRF.

TIRF is pleased to announce that a Chinese translation of The Impact of English and Plurilingualism in Global Corporations has appeared in the 2010 English Career, Volumes 33 and  34 (June and October), a magazine which is published in Taiwan. We are grateful to the editors and to Ms. Kuan-Ling Lin and Mr. Chao-Min Hsu for the translation.

Some Emerging Principles for Mobile-assisted Language Learning

For the main paper, click here.

Glenn Stockwell, Professor, Waseda University

Philip Hubbard, Senior Lecturer and Director of English for Foreign Students, Stanford University Language Center

Executive Summary: The steadily increasing access to sophisticated but affordable portable technologies over the past several years has brought with it a body of research into using these technologies for learning in both formal and informal contexts. It is not surprising, then, that language teachers have also adopted mobile technologies into their individual teaching and learning contexts. This paper first examines recent studies from the mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) literature, exploring the issues that emerge from this body of research through a framework distinguishing physical, pedagogical, and psycho-social dimensions. Recognizing not only the contributions but also the limitations of existing MALL literature, it then identifies a number of findings from the closely allied fields of mobile learning (ML) and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) that can inform both research and practice in MALL. Drawing from all three sources (MALL, ML, and CALL), the paper proposes ten general principles to guide teachers, learners, administrators, employers, and other stakeholders in the challenge of effectively integrating mobile devices and tasks into language learning environments. The paper concludes with a case study showing how each of the principles described have been applied in an actual mobile language learning context.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Tarana Patel, Founder & Educator, learnEd, India

Read the discussion by clicking here.

Discussion of this paper provided by: Simone Smala, Professor, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Read the discussion by clicking here.

Terms of Use and Disclaimer: TIRF is providing this information as a service to our constituents, and no endorsement by TIRF of the ideas presented in this paper is intended or implied. The information is made available free of charge and may be shared, with proper attribution. However, the papers may not be reprinted without express written permission from TIRF.

TIRF’s first publication was in 2009 and is entitled, The Impact of English and Plurilingualism in Global Corporations. The full version of the report is available here.

To see a summary of this report, please click here.