An invited lecture for the SLA Talk Series on emotion research in SLA
Dr. Sarah Mercer
Professor, Foreign Language Teaching
Head, Department of English Language Teaching (ELT) Research and Methodology
University of Graz
Monday, November 25, 9:30-10:30am CST
Zoom
Recording coming soon
About the talk
Research on language teacher wellbeing has witnessed a notable upsurge in recent years; a process accelerated by the experiences in education during the pandemic. However, there remain some misunderstandings about the construct of wellbeing which have made it a target for criticism and which hamper advances in the field. In this talk, Dr. Mercer will explore the complexities inherent in language teacher wellbeing and seek to dispel unhelpful myths by establishing some clarity about the construct drawing on her interpretation of literature and empirical work she has engaged in. The participants will critically reflect on some dominant theoretical lenses on wellbeing, including positive psychology perspectives, with a view to establishing frameworks which capture the complex dynamic interplay of personal and socio-contextual factors. They will engage with the problematic tension between personal agency and social structures in discussions of wellbeing and how this can limit both discourse, attitudes, and practical interventions. Finally, Dr. Mercer will outline a possible research agenda building on empirical work that has been done and presenting her hopes for further developments in the field. She firmly believes that language teacher wellbeing is a foundational cornerstone of good practice and all stakeholders benefit when teachers are supported in their professional roles. As such, it is imperative to expand the research agenda to gain a more holistic and nuanced understanding of language teacher wellbeing in order to have a greater impact on policy and practices which support the sustained wellbeing of language teachers in a diverse range of contexts.
About the speaker
Dr. Sarah Mercer, Professor of Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Graz, Austria, where she is Head of English Language Teaching (ELT) methodology. Her research interests include all aspects of the psychology surrounding the foreign language learning experience. She is the author, co-author and co-editor of several books in this area. She has served as Principal Investigator on several funded research projects, has worked on the editorial board of various journals, is co-editor of Multilingual Matters’ Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching book series, is currently vice-president of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL), and is ambassador for the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL).
Sponsors: Second Language Acquisition PhD Program with the Language Institute
Funding: Anonymous Fund
Contact: Jana Martin
The UW-Madison Language Institute is committed to inclusive and accessible programming. To request an accommodation for this event, please contact Language Institute associate director Jana Martin three business days in advance.