My research interests are in language testing and assessment, and applied linguistics more generally. I am particularly interested in second language listening and pronunciation assessment, and specifically the interface between sociolinguistics and language assessment (for example, the challenge of English as a Lingua Franca for language assessment). I also work on diagnostic language assessment (together with colleagues Tineke Brunfaut and Charles Alderson), and language assessment literacy (with Benjamin Kremmel).
I am principally interested in supervising doctoral students in a range of areas related to the assessment of listening and speaking, and in topics around English as a Lingua Franca, including its implications for assessment
My research interests are in the area of language assessment and applied linguistics more broadly, with a focus on:
- Listening assessment, and particularly the role of speaker accent (Harding, 2011; Harding, 2012)
- Pronunciation assessment and intelligibility (Harding, 2012; Harding, 2017a; Harding, 2017b; Isaacs & Harding, 2017)
- English as a Lingua Franca and communicative language assessment (Harding, 2014; Harding & McNamara, 2017)
- Language assessment literacy (Pill & Harding, 2013; Harding & Kremmel, 2016)
- Diagnostic language assessment (Alderson, Brunfaut & Harding, 2015; Harding, Alderson & Brunfaut, 2015)
* Links to open-access papers provided
I teach on several modules on the MA in Language Testing (by distance), the MA TESOL (by distance), and the MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (on campus), including:
- Language Test Construction and Evaluation
- Background to Applied Linguistics for Language Testing
- Issues in Language Testing
- Statistical Analysis for Language Testing
- Research in Applied Linguistics
- Classroom Language Assessment
- Curriculum Design and Teacher Development
I have also contributed to undergraduate modules and the PhD by Thesis and Coursework.
During summer, I teach on in the Language Testing at Lancaster course: http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/study/languagetesting/index.htm
