Research

English as a Foreign Language Program

People

So-Yeon Ahn

Assistant professor

Biography

So-Yeon Ahn is Assistant Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at KAIST. She gained her BA in English Interpretation and Translation from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, her M.A. in TESOL from the University of Pennsylvania, and per Ph.D. in Foreign and Second Language Education from State University of New York at Buffalo.

Before she joined KAIST, she had previously taught at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and City University of Hon Kong.

Her recent publications have appeared in journals such as Applied Linguistics Review, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Journal of Language, Identity and Education, and Language Awareness. She is currently serving as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, The Applied Linguistics Association of Korea, and AsiaTEFL.
 

Publications Journal Articles Conference Papers
  • 2021
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2021). Exploring ways to promote students' critical awareness in English classrooms. Paper presented at the Nineteenth AsiaTEFL International Conference, Virtual.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2021). The interplay of fear and desire in English learners’ imagined identities and communities. Paper presented at the Nineteenth AILA World Congress of Applied Linguistics, Virtual.
  • 2019
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2019, October). Envisioning the classroom as a venue to raise students’ language and cultural awareness. KOTESOL 2019 Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    Ahn, S.-Y. (2019, July). Uncovering the notions of fear and desire in English learner’s visualization of identities and communities. The Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE) 2019 International Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2019, June). Language play as a site for challenging beliefs in an English classroom. International Society for Language Studies (ISLS) 2019 Conference, Hong Kong.
    • Lee, K.-M., & Ahn, S.-Y. (2019, March). Examining news media discourse on native English-speaking teachers in South Korea. The American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2019 Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.
  • 2018
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2018, September). Raising learners’ awareness through the exploration of multimodality in an EFL context. Paper presented at the Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE) 2018
    International Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2018, July). Translanguaging and English medium instruction: What are Korean undergraduates’ perceptions? Paper presented at the Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE)
    2018 International Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2018, June). EFL Learners' perceptions of EMI courses and translanguaging in higher education. Paper presented at the 16th Asia TEFL 1st MAAL & 6th HAAL 2018: English Language Teaching in the Changing Glocalised World, Macau, China.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2018, May). Being and becoming English learners in the imagined communities. The 30th International Conference on Foreign/Second Language Acquisition (ICFSLA): Identity in Second Language Acquisition and Foreign Language Learning, Szczyrk, Poland.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2018, April). Exploring Korean EFL undergraduate students' perceptions of translanguaging and English medium instruction. The International Conference on Applied Linguistics & Language Teaching (ALLT), Taipei, Taiwan.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2018, April). Investigating the use of translanguaging by Korean EFL undergraduate students. The Discourse and Cognitive Linguistics Society of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Kim, H., Ahn, S.-Y., & West, G. B. (2018, March). The multimodal representation of female marriage immigrants in South Korea: What stories do textbooks tell?. The American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2018 Conference, Chicago, Illinois.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., Shin, S.-Y., & Kang, H.-S. (2018, March). Investigating the effects of translanguaging practices on learners’ willingness-to-communicate and foreign language anxiety in the EFL context. The American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2018 Conference, Chicago, Illinois.
  • 2017
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2017, July). Language play as a site for exploring learners’ language awareness. The Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE) 2017 International Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2017, June). Examining culturally-based gender identities of marriage immigrants in South Korea: A multimodal textbook analysis. The International Society for Language Studies (ISLS), Honolulu, Hawaii.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2017, June). Negotiating imagined adult English learner identity in globalization. The International Society for Language Studies (ISLS), Honolulu, Hawaii.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2017, March). Investigating English learner identity in transformation: A multimodal analysis. The American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2017 Conference, Portland, Oregon.
  • 2016
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2016, August). Unraveling English learner identity through a multimodal lens: From ‘past/current’ to ‘future’. The Psychology of Language Learning II, Jyväskylä, Finland.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2016, July). From ‘past/current’ to ‘imagined’ English learner identity in the intercultural context. The 13th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness, Vienna, Austria.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & Kang, H.-S. (2016, July). Uncovering Korean EFL learners’ awareness of and attitude towards World Englishes. The 13th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness, Vienna, Austria.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2016, July). Examining English teacher’s use of culture for awareness raising. The Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE) 2016 International Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Lee, K., & Ahn, S.-Y. (2016, April). Promoting intercultural communicative competence in higher education. The American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) 2016 Conference, Orlando, Florida.
  • 2015
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2015, November). Learners' play with language and language awareness. The English Linguistic Society of Korea (ELSOK), Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2015, November). Envisioning the concept of “good language teacher” (GLT) identity: The case of public documents and interview data. The 114th American Anthropological Association (AAA) Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2015, September). Decoding cultural representation in English learning. The Applied Linguistics Association of Korea (ALAK), Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & West, G. (2015, September). Imagining ‘good English teacher’ identities in Korea. The Applied Linguistics Association of Korea (ALAK), Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2015, August). Examining the notion of criticality for the shaping of global citizens in Korean English immersion camps. The 7th World Congress of International American Studies Association, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & West, G. (2015, March). Envisioning “good” English teacher identity in South Korea: Student and teacher multimodal constructions. The American Association for Applied Linguistics 2015 Conference, Toronto, Canada.
  • 2014
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & West, G. (2014, October). Imagining ‘good English teacher’ identities in Korea. The 2014 Joint KOTESOL-KAFLE International Conference, Seoul, South Korea.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2014, July). Exploring language awareness through students’ engagement in language play. The 12th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness 2014, Hamar, Norway.
    • Kearney, E., Ahn, S.-Y., & Zhai, L. (2014, July). Novice teachers developing a concept of language awareness and exploring its pedagogical potential. The 12th International Conference of the Association for Language Awareness 2014, Hamar, Norway.
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2014, March). Globalization and good language teacher (GLT) identity: The case of promotional websites, recruitment materials and policy documents in South Korea. The American Association for Applied Linguistics 2014, Portland, Oregon.
  • 2013
    • Ahn, S.-Y. (2013, June). Decoding the concept of “good language teacher” (GLT) identity: The case of publicly available documents in South Korea. The International Society for Language Studies, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
    • Kearney, E., & Ahn, S.-Y. (2013, June). Pre-school foreign language learning in the U.S.: A site for shifting language ideologies and promoting social justice. The International Society for Language Studies (ISLS), San Juan, Puerto Rico.
    • Kearney, E., & Ahn, S.-Y. (2013, April). Disrupting dominant language ideologies through very early “foreign” language education in the U.S. The American Education Research Association, San Francisco, California.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & Kearney, E. (2013, March). Developing critical cultural awareness through very early foreign language learning. The American Association for Applied Linguistics 2013 Conference, Dallas, Texas.
  • 2012
    • Kearney, E., & Ahn, S.-Y. (2012, October). Cultivating language awareness among pre-school foreign language learners. The 31st Annual Second Language Research Forum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., Hu, T.-C., & Oh, H.-J. (2012, January). Exploring the dynamics of intercultural spaces in an ESL class. The Third International Conference on the Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence, Tucson, Arizona.
  • 2011
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & Kearney, E. (2011, August). Preparing foreign language teachers in the state of New York for the cultural dimensions of their practice. The Sixteenth AILA World Congress of Applied Linguistics, Beijing, China.
    • Ahn, S.-Y., & Kearney, E. (2011, May). Re-Examining the foreign language methods course: Interviews with teacher educators. CARLA's Seventh International Conference on Language Teacher Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
    • Kearney, E., & Ahn, S.-Y. (2011, May). Enhancing study abroad design to better support language teachers' development. CARLA's Seventh International Conference on Language Teacher Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
List