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Gosia Sky

Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics

School of Education, Humanities and Languages

Gosia Sky
Role
Teaching and supervision
Research

Role

Gosia Sky is Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics. Her background is in English language teaching and she has extensive experience working with students and staff in a variety of contexts, including EFL, ESOL, ESP/EAP and EIL. She has taught at all educational levels from primary to HE, as well as in the private language sector, and for a number of years has also run her own successful freelance practice/consultancy, developing and delivering individually tailored EAP/ESP programmes for various clients, as well as those studying and working in HE.

Her current research focuses on EAP teacher cognitions and motivations in British Higher Education, English language and academic literacy in the context of internationalisation, perceptions of leaders and leadership across faculties, and increasing the visibility of undergraduate student research. She is also the Policy, Partnerships and Leadership (PPL) Research Group Lead and a qualified Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) volunteering as part of the university’s B-Well group’s Buddies Scheme.

Teaching and supervision

Courses

Modules taught

Undergraduate

BA in English Language and Linguistics:

  • Sociolinguistics (module leader)
  • Introduction to Applied Linguistics (module leader)
  • Language and Identities (module leader)
  • Language Teaching: Learning and Creativity (module leader)
  • Educational Sociolinguistics (module leader)
  • Dissertation (supervisor)

Postgraduate

MA in Education (TESOL):

  • Independent Study: Investigating Practice
  • English for Specific Purposes

Foundation

Foundation in Humanities:

  • Research Project
  • Language, Vision and Representation

Second marker / moderator for:

Language Acquisition, Critical Linguistics, Forensic Linguistics, Dissertation

Research

Research interests

  • English language and academic literacy in the context of internationalisation
  • TEAP in HE (policy, practice and critical pedagogy)
  • Equity in ELT
  • Intercultural communication
  • Global Englishes
  • Teacher cognition and motivation
  • Complex dynamic systems
  • Mixed methods research

Research projects

  • An exploration of leadership narratives (with K. Waring-Paynter)
  • Students Research! - increasing the visibility of undergraduate student research at an international university
  • EAP teacher cognitions and motivations in Australian HE (ESRC)
  • Teaching EAP in British HE: a mixed-method inquiry into practitioners’ cognitions and motivations from a complex dynamic systems perspective (ESRC)
  • Directory of UK ELT Research: 2011-2012 (with R. Smith, S. Choi and I. Liggins) (British Council)
  • Directory of UK ELT Research: 2009-2010 (with R. Smith, S. Choi, S. Reid and D. Hunter) (British Council)
  • Building an archive and a record of the history of British Council involvement with ELT, 1934-2009 (with R. Smith, P. Trigg, A. Kiai and S. Verrier) (British Council)

Publications

Books

Smith, R., Choi, S., Liggins, I. and Sky, G. (2014). Directory of UK ELT Research: 2011-12. London: British Council. ISBN: 978-0-86355-740-8.
E-book pdf
Online database of UK ELT Research: website

Smith, R., Choi, S., Reid, S., Sky, G. and Hunter, D. (2011). Directory of UK ELT Research: 2009-2010. London: British Council. ISBN: 978-086355-664-7.
E-book pdf

Edited volumes

Sky, G., Smith, R. And Salvi, A.I. (eds.) (2015) ELT Research Vol 30. Faversham: IATEFL. Available online: here

Sharpling, G.P. and Sky, G. (eds.) (2014) ELTED Journal Vol 16. Available online: here

Sky, G., Smith, R. And Salvi, A.I. (eds.) (2014) ELT Research Vol 29. Faversham: IATEFL. Available online: here

Sky, G., Smith, R. And Salvi, A.I. (eds.) (2013). ELT Research Vol 28. Canterbury: The University of Kent. Available online: here

Sharpling, G.P. and Sky, G. (eds.) (2012) ELTED Journal Vol 15. Available online: here

Mercer, S., Pawlak, M. and Sky, G. (eds.) (2012) ELT Research Vol 27. Special Conference Issue: Researching language teaching and learning in a classroom setting. Canterbury: The University of Kent. Available online: here

Sky, G. and Smith, R. (eds.) (2012) ELT Research Vol 26. Canterbury: The University of Kent. Available online: here

Sharpling, G.P. and Sky, G. (eds.) (2011) ELTED Journal Vol 14. Available online: here

Sharpling, G.P. and Sky, G. (eds.) (2010) ELTED Journal Vol 13: Special issue on teacher development, testing and assessment. Available online: here

Journal articles

Smith, R. and Sky, G. (2015). The state of ELT research in the UK (Part II). ELT Research Vol 30, 21-24. Available online: here

Sharpling, G.P. and Sky, G. (2010). Introduction to special issue: Teacher development, testing and assessment. English Language Teacher Education and Development Journal Vol 13, 1-3 (ISSN: 1365-3741). Available online: here

Talks and conferences

Sky, G. (2020). An EAL approach to the ITT Core Content Framework. School of Education Annual Research Conference: Principles to Practice. Oxford Brookes University, 20 May.

Sky, G. (2015). Treasures and Skeletons in the British EAP Closet. BALEAP Conference 'EAP in a Rapidly Changing Landscape: Issues, Challenges and Solutions', University of Leicester, 17-19 April.

Sky, G. (2014). The Dynamics and Complexity of EAP Teacher Motivation. International Conference on Motivational Dynamics and Second Language Acquisition, University of Nottingham, 28-30 August.

Sky, G. (2014). Teaching EAP in British HE. A series of talks for EAP teachers at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, March-May. 

Sky, G. (2013). EAP Teacher Motivation and the Global 'Spread' of English. BALEAP Conference 'The Janus Moment in EAP: Revisiting the Past and Building the Future', University of Nottingham, 19-21 April.

Sky, G. (2012). Motivation of EAP Practitioners in British Higher Education. 15th Warwick International Postgraduate Conference in Applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, 26-27 June.

Groups