Online L2 Learner Engagement: Research Issues and Pedagogical Implications
The Centre for International, Language and Teacher Education Research (CILTER), a research centre affiliated with the International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute (IELLI) at the University of St Andrews, is delighted to invite you to our upcoming event organised by the Educational Technology thematic hub.
Event title: Online L2 Learner Engagement: Research Issues and Pedagogical Implications
Speaker: Associate Professor Phung Dao, University of Cambridge, UK
Date: Friday 27 February 2026
Time: 11 am to 12 pm (UK Time)
Platform: MS Teams
Speaker bio
Phung Dao is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. He teaches on MPhil/MEd programmes and supervises PhD students in Applied Linguistics. He has taught in higher education institutions in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Vietnam. He currently serves as Associate Editor of System and is on the editorial boards of The Modern Language Journal and Language Awareness. His research interests include instructed second language acquisition (ISLA), technology-enhanced language learning and teaching, learner engagement and TBLT. His work has appeared in various journals, including The Modern Language Journal, TESOL Quarterly, Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Language Teaching Research, System, and among others.
Abstract
While face-to-face second language (L2) learning remains the mainstream and prevalent mode, recent years have seen rapid growth in online education. Indeed, both public and private schools worldwide have witnessed a significant increase in online learning, especially in the case of online L2 classes. In this talk, drawing on my recent book Learner Engagement in Online Second Language Classrooms (Palgrave, 2024), I review key conceptual, methodological, and pedagogical issues related to online L2 learner engagement. Specifically, I first examine some major conceptual and methodological challenges in L2 learner engagement research and offer suggestions for addressing them. I then provide a brief overview of pedagogical strategies used by online L2 teachers around the globe to promote learner engagement. I conclude by highlighting six key pedagogical implications for online L2 instruction and proposing Engagement-Based Pedagogy (EBP) as a reflective framework for online L2 teaching.
