Research and Innovation
The ALC is widely recognised for its innovation and specialist expertise in many areas of language education. ALC staff, associates and postgraduate students form an active and dynamic community of practitioners and researchers committed to understanding and addressing keys issues in the areas of language teaching and learning, language acquisition and language use in today’s increasingly globalised and multicultural world.
Research Strategy
From its establishment, the ALC has conducted research in a number of key areas of language education. The purpose is to inform practice in the field of language learning and teaching. All the ALC’s own initiatives, projects and programmes are underpinned by research, and the centre has made a significant contribution to international and national scholarship in the field. Particular strengths are in the following areas:
- Foreign and second language learning pedagogy
- Language teacher education
- Language policy and planning
- Language for special purposes
- Language testing
Innovation and Partnerships
The ALC has played a significant role in developing new language initiatives within the university and with external bodies. As well as drawing on its own expertise, the centre forges links with other researchers, academic centres and non-academic institutions in order to promote its aims. It has engaged in joint projects with a large range of partners including the following:
- Association of University Language Centres in Higher Education (UK and Ireland)
- British Council
- Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft (Inwent)
- Consejeria de Educación, Cultura y Deportes
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education (CercleS)
- International Christian University, Tokyo
- Irish Association of Applied Linguistics
- Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office
- Waseda University, Tokyo