Vince is currently serving a local primary school as the panel chairperson of the English department.
I am currently working as a secondary-school English teacher. Though facing some challenges at times, I still enjoy my occupation a lot. I am actively applying what I have gained from our program to my teaching practice.
The MA program in AEL has ignited my passion for Applied Linguistics research! All the professors and teachers in this program gave us great support. They were very patient in answering our questions and shared their feelings with us like friends. Despite their busy schedule, they spent a lot of time discussing our projects face to face. As a secondary school English teacher, I was particularly fascinated by Second Language Acquisition and Language Policy. These courses helped me reflect on my language learning experience and the influence of China’s language policy on English teaching.
WU Yifan is an IELTS teacher. He holds a MA (with honors) in Applied English Linguistics from Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research interests include Language Policy and Planning, Multilingual Education, Sociolinguistics, Media Studies, and Discourse Analysis.
Occupation: Senior High School English Teacher in Shenzhen
Research Interest: Intercultural Communication, Second Language Acquisition, Cognitive Linguistics
Experience: Studying in the MAAEL programme at CUHK has helped me to better define my career path. Not only did I internalize more knowledge about applied linguistics, but I also learned how to work independently and collaboratively. The discussions, class facilitations, and research papers are all based on extensive academic readings. Amiable professors led us into the sea of academics in class and focused on the practical application of our knowledge. The language environment and intercultural awareness are very important to us linguistic majors. Our programme has helped me quickly integrate into a new environment and grow in knowledge, making it one of my life's most valuable learning experiences.
Bonnie Xuehua FU is the graduate of 2021, MA in AEL at CUHK. She is currently working as a senior research assistant in Department of English, City University of Hong Kong, responsible for research projects on improving Hong Kong secondary students’ reading and writing abilities in STEM. Bonnie is really interested in topics of bilingual education, language learning and teaching, and technology-assisted language learning, such as English-Medium-Instruction, translanguaging, second language reading and writing and online learning. Her recent works could be seen in International Review of Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching and the book, The Use of Technology in English Medium Education.
Bonnie really appreciates the chance of studying in MA in AEL. The supportive instructors, the nice classmates, and the fantastic learning experience in Department of English, CUHK really drive her forward and give her the opportunities to discover her research potentials, her academic passion, and her new goals. Many thanks to any help Bonnie got from MA in AEL.
HUI, Zezhi Porter is a master’s graduate (2021) in Applied English Linguistics at the Department of English, CUHK (Academic Excellence Award & Dean’s List). He is currently a lecturer at the School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an University of Finance and Economics. His research interests mainly center on second language acquisition (emotions; identities; L2 possible selves); EMI in higher education; bilingual and multilingual education.
English teacher / Head of Finance & Operations
Shenzhen Foreign Languages School (High School Campus)
Interest: Linguistics landscape, language ideology, multilingualism, second language acquisition
People here are amazing, which helps create a positive and productive learning environment. The professors are not only the experts in the field, but they are also willing to do intellectual exchanges with us and hold individual consultations to provide assistance to our course assignments.
The MA in AEL was everything that I wanted – a broad theoretical grounding in linguistics coupled with practical applications to the real world. As a secondary school English teacher, I was particularly fascinated by how a second language is typically acquired as well as how language is shaping / being shaped by the Internet.
MAAEL has not just opened the door to the theoretical aspects of English linguistics, but also given me a solid foundation for my current English Teaching career in Tertiary settings. For this reason, I’m truly grateful for the support and guidance I’ve received from all the professors, and the chance to meet many high-calibre classmates. Put simply, MAAEL at CUHK is one of the best learning experiences I’ve ever had.
I chose to study MA in AEL at CUHK because the programme aims at enriching students’ linguistic knowledge which is useful for my daily teaching. During my 2-year part-time study, I took eight courses in which I found Theoretical Linguistics and Psycholinguistics particularly interesting. Theoretical Linguistics deals with topics such as phonetics, phonology, syntax and semantics, all of which help me build up the fundamental understanding of linguistics. I learnt a lot in the course Psycholinguistics about how a language is acquired with reference to how the human brain processes information. I really love these two courses. As a whole, I did enjoy very much studying MA in AEL at CUHK because the teachers I met were all professional in teaching. Not only were their lectures inspiring and practical, but they were also kind and helpful. Besides the good teachers, I also met a group of nice and cheerful classmates who brightened up my life at CUHK.
I am so delighted that I have chosen MA in AEL at CUHK. First, the courses offered by this programme are the most comprehensive in the territory, thus covering most of the major topical issues in Applied Linguistics. Some examples are Psycholinguistics, Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition. Second, the professors were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Some of them were very helpful with our research paper. They provided us with concrete guidelines on writing up the paper and useful feedback on drafts, all of which equipped us with better skills in writing academic papers. Third, I particularly enjoyed the time spent with my classmates. They were all very nice and helpful. After graduation, we still keep in contact. We have actually become lifelong friends.
I enrolled in this programme as a part-time student because classes were in the evening and I could work during the day. The courses of this programme were related to my career as a native English teacher. Besides the core courses, I also found some elective courses such as Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Teaching interesting and useful. These courses enriched my theoretical knowledge and practical skills which I am now deploying in my own L2 English classroom. My classmates were all very nice and that’s why I really enjoyed working with them. In particular, I would like to thank some professors’ helpfulness and ingenuity at thinking up solutions to solve problems. All in all, MA in AEL at CUHK is the programme which I would recommend those who are interested in AEL to pursue.