Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics Raised Faculty Building University of Cambridge Sidgwick Avenue Cambridge CB3 9DA United Kingdom
I obtained a B.A. in Linguistics and English Studies from the University of Hong Kong (2014) and later completed teacher training for a PGDE (Postgraduate Diploma in Education, equivalent to the PGCE in the UK) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2018). After teaching secondary school in Hong Kong for several years, I pursued a MPhil in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics here, graduating with distinction. I am currently a second-year PhD candidate working at the EF Research Lab for Applied Language Learning, supervised by Dr Alexopoulou and funded by EF Education First. As a former ESL teacher, I am passionate about leveraging corpus linguistics to generate quantitative insights into L2 learning and inform effective teaching practices.
Other activities and roles: Cambridge Linguistics Forum Co-organiser
Li3 (Language, Brains and Machines) Supervisor
Disentangling the effects of input linguistic complexity and task cognitive complexity on L2 output alignment and learning outcomes using a read-to-write paradigm
My research interests include second language acquisition, task-based language learning, and corpus linguistics. My PhD project explores how second language (L2) learners’ output aligns with input and whether such alignment supports learning. Specifically, I examine the effects of varying linguistic complexity in reading inputs and cognitive complexity in writing tasks, as well as their interplay, on L2 learning outcomes. This work aims to identify optimal texts and tasks for L2 learners, with empirical studies supported by EF Education First, which provides participants and data for the research.
Scholarships and Prizes:
EF Studentship
Conference Proceedings
- Leung, S., & Xu, A. (2016). Perceived vocal attractiveness by gay listeners in Hong Kong. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 140(4), 3401–3401.
- Xu, A., Leung, S., & Lee, A. (2016). Universal vs. language-specific aspects in human vocal attractiveness: An investigation towards Japanese native listeners’ perceptual pattern. Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics 29(1).
