Research
Overview
My research focuses on the second language acquisition of grammar, particularly how cognitive linguistics-inspired instruction facilitates L2 grammar learning. Specifically, I seek to develop effective and engaging instructional materials to support both traditional classroom and computer-assisted language teaching. With the research funding from the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, I further refined the English Preposition Tutor which I had developed for my MPhil and PhD projects. To support open science practice in research, the training and testing materials of the Tutor are made available on Gorilla.
My current project, supported by the Bowland Research Fellowship, focuses on the acquisition of English conditionals by L2 adult learners. Adopting the Bayesian approach, the project will explore how different fixed and random variables, eg, types of instruction and first languages, affect the L2 attainment of these learners. This project combines insights from cognitive linguistics, task-based language teaching, and Bayesian statistics.
Research group(s)
Grants
- Bowland Research Fellowship (2023-2025)
- Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) Language Fund (2021-2023, Amount Funded: £110,203)
Publications
Selected publications
Wong, M. H. I. & Prange, J. (2024, accepted for Special Issue). A Bayesian Approach to (Re)examining Learning Effects of Cognitive-Linguistics-Inspired Instruction: A Close Replication of Wong, Zhao, & MacWhinney (2018). Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
Wong, M. H. I.(2025, invited book chapter). Tense, aspect, and modality in one: A concept-driven approach to learning English conditionals. In B. White and N. Dolgova (Eds.), Applying Cognitive Linguistics in the English Language Classroom. Bloomsbury.
Wong, M. H. I., & Siu, Y. F (under first review). Investigating the Impact of Cognitive Linguistics-Inspired Instruction on L2 Learners’ Behavioral Performance and Neurocognitive Processing.
Wong, M. H. I. & Hung, T. S. (2024) Concept-Based Grammar Teaching in the Digital Era: Potentials and challenges. In S.W. Chan, K.W. Mak, & S.M., Leung (Eds.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Technology and the Humanities (Chapter 11). Routledge.
Prange, J. & Wong, M. H. I. (2023). Reanalysing L2 Preposition Learning with Bayesian Mixed Effects and a Pretrained Language Model. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL).
Wong, M. H. I. (2023). Fostering Conceptual Understanding through Computer-Based Animated Schematic Diagrams and Cue Contrast. TESOL Quarterly, 57(4), 1309–1338.
Wong, M. H. I., Zhao, H., MacWhinney, B. (2018). A cognitive linguistics application for second language pedagogy: The English preposition tutor. Language Learning, 68(2), 438–468.
Teaching
Undergraduate
I have taught on the following undergraduate modules:
- Psycholinguistics
- Second Language Acquisition
- Pedagogical Grammar
- Introduction to Applied English Linguistics
- Thinking Creatively in a Global Language
- Linguistic Approaches to Translation
- English Writing
Postgraduate
I have taught on the following postgraduate modules:
- Cognitive Linguistics and its teaching applications
- Interdisciplinary approaches to multilingualism
