Dr Sal Consoli

Lecturer in Language Education / Postgraduate Research Methods Director

Biography

Background

Dr Sal Consoli is Lecturer (research) in Language Education at the Institute for Language Education at the Moray House School of Education and Sport. Previously, Dr Consoli worked at the University of Warwick, Newcastle University in the UK and at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China. His research focuses on the psychology of language learning and teaching with specific emphasis on student learning motivation and learner engagement as well as language teacher wellbeing.

Dr Consoli's research has been largely influenced by the epistemological and methodological traditions of narrative inquiry and practitioner research (i.e., Action Research and Exploratory Practice). He promotes practitioner research as a crucial dimension of teacher preparation and professional development. Dr Consoli has developed the concept of Life capital which offers a lens to account for (language) learners’ and teachers’ life stories and understand how these interact with learning and teaching experiences.

Dr Consoli also has an active interest in research ethics and reflexivity in applied linguistics and education more broadly. His work has been published in various international peer-reviewed journals, such as TESOL Quarterly, System, and the Journal of English for Academic Purposes. He is co-editor of Reflexivity in Applied Linguistics (Routledge, 2023). Dr Consoli has co-edited a Special Issue on Narrative Inquiry for the journal System and one on Research Engagement for the journal Educational Action Research. 

Dr Consoli serves on the Executive Committee of the British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL), the International Association of Psychology for Language Learning (IAPLL), and the Irish Association of Applied Linguistics (IRAAL).

Dr Consoli is a Visiting Research Fellow at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Language and Communication - Stockholm, Sweden

Communication in STEM | KTH

Research in communication in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) examines the communication skills needed by architects, engineers and scientists to meet the challenges of their studies and work.

Qualifications

PhD in English Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics (ESRC-funded, University of Warwick)

PGDip in Research Methods  (ESRC-funded, University of Warwick)

MA in English Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics (King's College London)

 

Postgraduate teaching

Course Organizer for: The sources of knowledge: Understanding and analysing research literature (REDU11046)

Course Organizer for: Conceptualising research: Foundations, assumptions and praxis (Research Methods, 2 - Course Code: REDU11045)

 

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

No

Areas of interest for supervision

I am now at full capacity of PhD students and am unable to take on new candidates.

 

I supervise PhD students in the areas of:

Psychology of language education

Language practitioner research

Narrative inquiry

Applications of 'life capital' to educational research and practice

Internationalisation of (Higher) Education

 

Current PhD students supervised

Yuyan Gao     (Lead-Supervisor)

Meihui Yi        (Lead-Supervisor)

Jiaqi Tian       (Lead-Supervisor)

Caixia Yuan     (Co-Supervisor)

Yongqi Zeng     (Co-Supervisor)

Jingyao Shi      (Co-Supervisor)

Yi Sang                (Co-Supervisor)

 Yilan Xu             (Second-Supervisor)

 

Past PhD students supervised

(2021-2023)   Dr Azar Tajabadi – Students’ motivation for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Iranian universities: A multi-case ecological study through the lens of Activity Theory. [Postdoctoral Fellow]

(2021-2023)   Zhang Xuesha – Exploring the dynamic changes of English language teachers’ motivation: A longitudinal case study in mainland China.

(2021-2023)   Gao Fei – Towards an understanding of the dynamic development of public speaking anxiety: A longitudinal study of Chinese college EFL learners.

 

Research summary

  • Psychology of Language Education
  • Practitioner Research (Action Research, Exploratory Practice)
  • Narrative Inquiry
  • Reflexivity and Ethics
  • Internationalisation of (Higher) Education

View all 14 publications on Research Explorer

Invited speaker

Consoli, S. (June 2023). From Motivation to Engagement: A Psychological Perspective for Language Teachers [Invited talk], Confucius Institute at Newcastle University, UK.

Consoli, S. (November 2023). Exploring the power of Computer-Assisted Analysis in Applied Linguistics Research [Invited talk], Symposium, Contemporary Perspectives on Language Research – Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Consoli, S. (March 2023). Narrative analysis in language education research: a reflexive perspective through MAXQDA [Invited talk]. American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) – GSC Webinar series, University of Pennsylvania, US.

Consoli, S. (November 2022). Life Capital: a novel lens for language education research [Invited talk]. Applied Linguistics Seminar Series - Language. Culture. Matters – Department of Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, UK.

Consoli, S. (March 2022). For what and whom is practitioner research? [Invited talk]. Symposium, The Ethics and Practice of L+ Classroom Research – Centre for Foreign Language Education and Research, Rikkyo University, Japan.

Consoli, S. (October 2021). What risks can we take when researching our own students? A reflexive journey from 'superb' data to 'good enough' data. [Invited talk]. Seminar Series – Centre for Language Education Research, Queen's University Belfast, UK.

Consoli, S. (February 2021). Practitioner researchers and academic researchers can do better together [Invited talk]. Guest Lecture Series – Department of Education, University of Oxford, UK.

 

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