Lucas KohnkeThe Education University of Hong Kong | ied · Department of English Language Education (ELE)
Lucas Kohnke
Doctor of Education
About
122
Publications
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Introduction
Lucas is a Senior Lecturer at The Education University of Hong Kong
Additional affiliations
August 2012 - present
August 2010 - June 2012
August 2008 - July 2010
Education
July 2014 - July 2019
August 1996 - June 2001
Publications
Publications (122)
In this technology review, we explore the affordances of the generative AI chatbot ChatGPT for language teaching and learning. In addition to this, we also present debates and drawbacks of ChatGPT. Finally, we present the digital competencies teachers and learners require to use this chatbot ethically and effectively to support language learning.
Replication studies have become an emerging line of research in recent decades, including in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Exact replication, which closely follows a study's protocol, is rare as it is hard to recreate results without establishing a highly controlled environment. However, using data available online, we were able to co...
Emergency remote teaching (ERT) and blended learning have emerged in higher education since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there have been few comparisons between them to assess whether blended learning affords better learning environments than ERT. Therefore, this study used a between-subject model to compare engagement among 147...
Technology reviews are a specific article genre published in several language teaching and learning journals. Their emergence is likely due to the proliferation of technology that facilitates and supports language acquisition. These reviews aim to increase teachers' and learners' awareness of the forms of technology available and succinctly describ...
This study investigated how English learners complete multimodal formative quizzes. Participants included 17,950 students enrolled in a mandatory English for Academic Purposes course at a university in Hong Kong. We retrieved data from Blackboard, a learning management system, and conducted a two-step cluster analysis to examine student self-regula...
Perusall, a collaborative reading tool, was introduced in an advanced reading and writing skills course in Hong Kong to increase engagement with texts and encourage critical discussion during the COVID-19 face-to-face class suspension. Students were asked to use the Perusall platform to complete pre-class readings, highlight and annotate text and c...
Research on the use of mobile applications in language teaching and learning has been extensive, especially since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this review of articles, we systematically examine 112 empirical studies investigating the
effectiveness of mobile-based synchronous and asynchronous language teaching and learning published from...
Technostress among educators, exacerbated by the rapid integration of GenAI tools like ChatGPT, poses significant challenges. This qualitative study explores the perceptions and experiences of 14 secondary English teachers in Hong Kong regarding technostress induced by GenAI. Using reflective journals and semi-structured interviews, we identified t...
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools have been argued to have transformative potential in education; yet existing literature suggests that language teachers generally lack the abilities to leverage these tools effectively and critically. Conducted in an initial language teacher education programme at a Hong Kong university, this mixed-m...
This qualitative study examines how five secondary school TESOL teachers in Thailand use TikTok to express their emotions and shape their professional identities. The research uses semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore the platform's role as an emotional outlet and a medium for enhancing teacher-student relationships. Findings...
The current study explores the TikTok identities of Thai university teachers and how those identities impact their professional identity as teachers. Five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university teachers in Thailand voluntarily participated in semi- structured individual interviews. Findings obtained using an exploratory-descriptive qualitat...
Technostress is a phenomenon in which rapid technological advancement affects teachers' psychological well-being. It is an emerging concern in English language education, which may be exacerbated by the advent of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT. This study explores the factors that influence technostress among Engli...
As learning analytics and educational data mining have become the “new normal” in the field, scholars have observed the emergence of data colonialism. Generally, data colonialism can be understood as the process by which data were considered “free” to take and appropriate. Building on this theoretical understanding, this study aims to contextualize...
Teachers fostering future-ready graduates need to master updated pedagogical and technological knowledge, so teacher professional development (TPD) is essential. Conventional TPD activities such as seminars and workshops are limited as they require specific time blocks and lack flexibility. The current study investigated TPD through microlearning c...
Recent developments have sparked research on xReality (XR), which includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). However, little is known about how diverse types of XR technology are used in English teaching and learning. To this end, this paper presents a systematic review and analyzes 36 Social Science Citation Ind...
This paper proposes and describes a context- and subject-specific professional digital competence (PDC) framework for beginning English language teachers in Hong Kong. Taking a localised approach, the framework was developed through a four-stage data collection process, (1) Literature review of empirical studies conducted in Hong Kong of English la...
English-medium instruction (EMI) is taking hold within higher education in non-Anglophone settings, but there is insufficient research into the challenges students encounter when taking EMI courses online. This exploratory quantitative study conducted in Hong Kong examines the language and studying challenges faced by undergraduate students when in...
Synchronous online teaching through video-conferencing software (VCS) has become a common mode of instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. This mode brings unique challenges for teachers that require specific professional digital competences. One such challenge is conducting formative assessment. Through the use of in-depth interviews with nine Ho...
Despite the significant research on the effectiveness and challenges of emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the global COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have focused on the systematic facilitation of positive emotions by classroom teachers. This study aimed to identify the strategies that teachers of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) used during...
This paper explored teacher professional development (TPD) for online and blended learning (OBL) via microlearning in the higher education English language teaching context in Hong Kong in 2021 and 2022. OBL requires teachers to integrate technology. This study drew on quantitative survey data (N = 67) and interviews (N = 12) that took place after...
The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in English language teaching presents opportunities and challenges for instructors. This study explores the attitudes of higher education English language instructors towards generative AI tools, their intentions to use them and the institutional support and professional development necessa...
This book provides strategies, tools, and best practices for incorporating microlearning in English language teaching. It aims to help teachers create and deliver microlearning mechanisms that are optimized for mobile learning. This book also draws on relevant literature and the author’s first-hand experience designing microlearning activities for...
Using virtual and augmented reality in the ESL/EFL classroom can create an authentic and immersive learning experience. This chapter will discuss the potential benefits of using these methods and introduce strategies, platforms, and activities that teachers can use to create learning environments that improve their learners’ language proficiency.Ke...
This chapter provides an overview of the use of technology in teaching and learning from the 1970s to the present to help the reader understand the theory and practice of mobile microlearning. The chapter has three themes: an overview of Computer-assisted language learning based pedagogy, an introduction to mobile-assisted language learning, and an...
This chapter demonstrates how microlearning lessons can improve the four primary language skills—listening, speaking, writing, and reading—and provides examples of each.KeywordsMicrolearningListeningSpeakingWritingReadingCollaborative learning
This chapter begins with an introduction to the concept of microlearning, providing a thorough definition and discussing its key characteristics. The role of microlearning as a teaching and learning approach will then be examined, as will its potential benefits and applications in ESL/EFL contexts. We will then present the rationale for writing thi...
This chapter concludes the book by concisely addressing the limitations of microlearning and suggesting directions for future research and practice. It highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of microlearning’s potential drawbacks and challenges in order to optimise its use in ESL/EFL education. The chapter culminates with seven pract...
This chapter introduces and defines learning chatbots and explores the role they play in language teaching and learning. It includes microlearning activities making use of chatbots that practitioners can incorporate into their classes.KeywordsChatbotsMicrolearningLanguage learningActivities
This chapter introduces four key strategies to optimize microlearning using mobile devices, relating to learner needs, medium, interactivity, and simplicity. It also introduces possible tools and applications one can use and the principles of designing microlearning lessons.KeywordsMicrolearningPractical strategiesLearner needsMediumSimplicityTools...
This chapter examines four microlearning methods: podcasts, videos, infographics, and flashcards. While traditional classroom learning does not always accommodate students’ schedules, these four methods deliver learning material in small, easily-digestible chunks. In addition, the chapter provides example activities that can be tailored to various...
The shift from face-to-face teaching to emergency remote teaching has become the new normal due to the pandemic in 2020. However, little research has been conducted in Hong Kong to investigate pre-service teachers' perceptions of the immediate adoption and delivery of online face-to-face teaching. In response to this call, the present research cond...
Online and blended learning (OBL) requires a different skill set than face-to-face teaching. The ability to facilitate student-centered teaching by integrating technological information and communication technology (ICT) in pedagogically effective ways is urgently needed. This study explored the microlearning experience of twelve English as a secon...
Hadley and Boon’s (2023) Critical Thinking is a valuable resource that systematically links topical research to innovative and accessible classroom activities. It is intended for English language teachers, graduate students, and curriculum developers who are interested in critical thinking (CT). It is crucial to cultivate the CT skills of language...
Since the introduction of open educational resources (OERs) in higher education, many university lecturers have developed or adopted them for their students. Most studies in the field have concluded that OERs can reduce the costs incurred by students and lead to positive learning outcomes. This study attempts to extend the current body of knowledge...
Independent language learning is paramount for those wishing to develop proficiency in a second or foreign language. Language learners often have few opportunities to communicate and interact actively in their target language. In this two-phase study, a chatbot was developed to assist second-language learners at a tertiary education institution in...
Technology is increasingly being used to foster engagement, enhance classroom dynamics, promote autonomy and improve the student learning experience in language learning environments. Many teachers have begun to employ digital apps and tools (e.g. Mentimeter and GoSoapBox) as a more interactive alternative to traditional activities. One product tha...
Learning analytics has been widely used in the context of language education. Among
the studies that have used this approach, many have developed a dashboard that aims to provide students with recommendations based on data so that they can act on these suggestions and improve their performance. To further our understanding of dashboard research, th...
Ju Seong Lee’s (2022) Informal Digital Learning of English: Research to Practice is essential reading for those who wish to understand this rapidly emerging phenomenon in English-language learning. Understanding how language learners thrive in informal digital environments will help teachers and researchers to use digital social spaces to support s...
In this study, a chatbot was developed using Dialogflow Messenger to support learning during face-to-face class suspension due to COVID-19. The pandemic has changed how students and teachers engage with course content and use technologies. By working with the chatbot, language for specific purposes students received guidance and support to complete...
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, higher education institutions have been forced to significantly alter how they deliver content (Moorhouse & Kohnke, 2021a). To continue with teaching and learning but minimize person-to-person contact, many have adopted emergency remote teaching (ERT) (Hodges et al., 2020) and created flexi...
While textbooks were once seen as a fundamental source for learning, they have begun to take second place in favour of more active and studentled pedagogies. Listening, however, remains a tricky skill to teach due to the multitude of processes that take place. Though it may be difficult to let go of the plug-and-play activities provided as part of...
Quality and continuous professional development (CPD) are essential to ensure a highly skilled teaching fore. Today, teachers need to continually update knowledge and skills not only in their teaching subjects but also in online and blended teaching pedagogies (Philipsen et al., 2019).
Despite English being a priority in China and extensive policy changes over the past decades, English language teaching and learning at Chinese tertiary institutions remains insufficient. College English (CE) courses focus on holistic and humanistic education by teaching English for general purposes. However, they are often inefficient and unable t...
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face teaching has all but disappeared, with many higher education institutions adopting blended and online learning. The case study described in this chapter explored the experience of nine instructors at an English-medium university in Hong Kong who used HyFlex, a blended-learning model, to teach English for A...
The TPACK (technological pedagogical and content knowledge) framework is an influential theoretical foundation for teaching with technology research. This analysis of 1,608 empirical research studies of TPACK identifies trends and research topics from 2000 to 2020 using structural topic modelling and bibliometrics. The results showed that academic...
Blended learning pedagogical practices supported by learning management systems have become an important part of higher education curricula. In most cases, these blended curricula are evaluated through multimodal formative assessments. Although assessments can strongly affect student outcomes, research on the topic is limited. In this paper, we ado...
This innovations in practice article introduces a chatbot that was developed to support and motivate second language learners during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chatbot was designed to facilitate active, out-of-class language learning to supplement in-class input. It can adapt to learners’ abilities and pace by chatting with them, thus providing dif...
Second- and foreign language learners in higher education often have limited time for vocabulary development and retention, which may constitute a major challenge. This article reports on undergraduate students' perceptions of a vocabulary learning application developed in-house, Alphabet vs Aliens @ PolyU. 14 undergraduate students at an English-m...
Replication studies are uncommon in education, and replications of validation studies are rarer. This study aimed to replicate, reproduce, and expand the study by Jellicoe and Forsythe published in 2019 that validated the Feedback in Learning Scale. We followed the original procedures, conducting a full validation process. We found only an 87% agre...
The last two years have changed how students access formal and informal education. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, language learners have had limited opportunities to interact actively with teachers and fellow students. However, chatbots can help to fill this gap. This paper describes an educational chatbot employed on Facebook Messenger as a supplem...
This qualitative study explores pedagogical approaches to teaching argumentative writing in a first-year undergraduate EAP course at an English Medium Instruction (EMI) university in Hong Kong. 16 undergraduate freshmen students were interviewed in the study. The findings indicate that the adoption of a hybrid approach over a traditional teacher-le...
The global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has had a disruptive and profound impact on English-language teaching. To reduce the spread of the virus, teachers and learners had to suspend in-person teaching and learning. This led to the widespread adoption of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching. Obviously, this period has led to immens...
Language educators in Asia and beyond use a range of technology tools, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, and online environments to adopt, personalize, and enhance the student learning experience and improve learning outcomes (Healy, 2018; Li, 2017). Leveraging web-enabled devices and creating interactive environments in our second and forei...
In higher education, understanding discipline-specific vocabulary can be challenging. Insufficient vocabulary can be a major challenge for students as they begin their university studies. This study examined university undergraduate English language learners' discipline-specific vocabulary retention when they used an in-house developed mobile app,...
Today’s learners live in an information-rich environment infused with visual elements.
As English for Academic Purposes teachers, we can encourage our learners
to navigate this terrain critically and create meaning by enhancing their visual literacy
skills. Visual literacy skills can help students both to subject images found in their research to c...
This study explored the remote teaching experiences of a group of English for academic purposes teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on what was learned from the transition to identify which practices are worth keeping and which should be abandoned as well as how English for academic purposes practitioners can move from emergency to sust...
Introduction Today, the use of technology in higher education institutions has bolstered levels of learner agency as well as generating new opportunities to create individual learning experiences, regardless of temporal or spatial challenges and limitations (Huang et al., 2019; Reychav et al., 2015). Such development has empowered learners to shape...
COVID-19 and the shift to online teaching necessitated a change in approach for English
for Academic Purposes (EAP) teachers in preparing their students for university studies. This study
explored how EAP instructors coped with and adapted their provision for emergency remote teaching.
The study was conducted at an English-medium university in Hong...
Research has indicated strong relationships between learners’ affect and their learning. Emotions relate closely to students’ well-being, learning quality, productivity, and interaction. Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has been widely recognized to be effective in enhancing learning experiences and increasing student motivation. The field of emo...
This study explored emotions and self-regulatory learning in postgraduate students, forced to transition to emergency remote teaching, at a Hong Kong university after the start of the academic semester. Self-regulation is a critical factor for successful online learning, and emotions are important antecedents of self-regulated learning. The study a...
While technology use is becoming increasingly common in education, teachers remain reluctant to use technology and hesitant on how best to incorporate it into their teaching and practice. There is a strong demand from institutions for English language teachers to cope with the changing landscape of teaching in the twenty-first century. This explora...
This article reports on the results of a qualitative interpretive pilot study investigating the role of comic strips on tertiary ESP learners' motivation and discipline-specific language learning. The participants were 10 third-year students enrolled in two discipline-specific English courses at a university in Hong Kong. The results show that inte...
In recent years, the advent of educational technology has
made digital multimodal composing (DMMC) increasingly
common among tertiary students. The current small-scale
study explored the perceptions of DMMC of 12 undergraduate students enrolled in a discipline-specific English
course at an English-medium university in Hong Kong. In
particular, the...
Undergraduates are often advised to expand their discipline-specific vocabulary in order to cope with the rigor of reading and writing academic texts. For the students studying in English-medium settings, it is in their interest to acquire vocabulary in their disciplines as this is vital to academic success. While students recognize the importance...
COVID-19 has forced universities around the world to suspend in-person teaching and adopt emergency remote teaching (ERT). To compensate for the suspension of in-person teaching, many universities mandated that teachers utilise video-conferencing software (VCS) to deliver synchronous online lessons conducted through VCS. This study explored the imp...
COVID-19 has led to dramatic changes in the way teachers teach and students engage in higher education (HE). To cater for social distancing and learners' diverse needs, including being in different geographical locations from their HE instruction, different modes of teaching and learning have been adopted. One such mode is HyFlex. HyFlex sees teach...
Technology reviews are becoming an increasingly common genre within English language teaching and learning journals. This is due to the proliferation of technologies and their affordance in language learning. Although journals provide editorial guidelines for how to write technology reviews, they can be quite general. This short article offers some...
What if lesson observations were no longer conducted in a ‘surveillance-style’ manner or no longer consisted of isolated snapshots carried out once a year? What if they built powerful collaboration within and beyond the classroom walls? What if they created ‘light bulb’ moments?
Events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have required second language (L2) educators to move away from face-to-face (F2F) lessons and adopt online teaching. Educators have utilized a range of online synchronous meeting tools (SMTs) to facilitate student learning. One of the popular, immersive and easy-to-use SMTs these days is Zoom. It includes seve...
Online learning can be a lonely and isolated experience. In the face-to-face classroom, when we engage and interact, we create a physical experience, whereas in the online classroom students might ask ‘Is anybody out there?’ Presence is vital in both F2F and online classrooms; presence also plays a significant role in creating a positive learning e...
Woodward, Graves, and Freeman's Teacher Development over Time: Practical Activities for
Language Teachers is a timely and valuable resource for primary, secondary, and higher education teachers who are beginning or continuing their careers. The volume is part of the series Research and Resources in Language Teaching, which integrates the latest res...
In this study, I explore the introduction of a virtual mentoring programme as an alternative to a traditional face-to-face mentorship programme to provide ongoing professional development. I detail how participants in the virtual mentoring programme reported increased levels of self-confidence, knowledge and skill in integrating information and com...
English-medium lectures can be the source of much frustration for students at universities where most learners and lecturers use English as an additional language. Developing listening strategy awareness can help students traverse the difficulties they encounter in lectures. This study reports on the most challenging listening strategies for first-...
The affordances and pedagogical benefits of technology in the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classrooms are widely acknowledged. One potential use of technology is in eliciting and managing students’ responses, which is an area where EAP/ESP teachers often report difficulties. Traditionally, teachers eit...
We generally expect our students to do a portion of their language learning outside the classroom - even more so in the current Covid-19 crises. This expectation often involves some element of online or blended learning, consisting of videos, podcasts, apps and discussions. An increasing number of attractive and modern learning apps and platforms a...
Using infographics as a more creative approach to writing.
Hyland's and Wong's Specialised English: New Directions in ESP and EAP Research and Practice (2019) collates contributions from leading international scholars to offer a vibrant discussion of innovative research, theory, and pedagogy. As a research specialization, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has developed rapidly in recent years. Initially...
In recent years, the widespread growth of mobile-assisted language learning using apps has made English vocabulary learning increasingly accessible. This study investigated students’ perceptions of a vocabulary learning app developed by the researcher as a tool to help them to improve their L2 receptive vocabulary. The app, containing 20 levels, wo...
In recent years, English language teaching materials, textbooks, videos and websites that facilitate the learning of language, which have grown in number, have tended to cover safe, non-controversial topics using the banking model (in Paulo Freire's terms). Often these topics did not engage learners either affectively or cognitively. This study add...
Language educators in Asia and beyond use a range of technology tools, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, and online environments to adopt, personalize, and enhance the student learning experience and improve learning outcomes (Healy, 2018; Li, 2017). Leveraging web-enabled devices and creating interactive environments in our second- and fore...
Teachers strive to increase student engagement and active learning while incorporating technology in the classroom in order to improve the learning experience. Teachers always look for ways to keep students motivated and on task during lessons. One strategy is digital backchanneling—a real-time online conversation that takes place alongside an acti...
Innovative technologies, such as Smartphones and tablets are changing the ways in which we teach and in which language learners learn. (Brown, 2015). Many of today's students like to receive information quickly, electronically, and asynchrously. They enjoy multi-tasking and sometimes get bored in lectures (McHaney, 2011). Thus, professional develop...
In the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), mentoring is seen as a vital component of teacher development, and researchers and practitioners have given it extensive attention over the years (Richards, 2017; Richards and Farrell, 2005). Supporting the Professional Development of English Language Teachers: Facilitative Me...