Author Description

Product Description The Second Handbook of English Language Teaching provides a comprehensive examination of policy, practice, research and theory related to English language teaching in international contexts. Over 70 chapters focus on the research foundation for best practices, frameworks for policy decisions, and areas of consensus and controversy in second-language acquisition and pedagogy. In countries around the globe, English has become the second language taught most frequently and intensively. In many countries, particularly in Asia, government policies have made English a part of the curriculum from primary school on. Demand for English teaching by parents and adult learners is fueled by the desire to increase economic competitiveness, globalization of the workforce, immigration, and a move toward lifelong learning. Immigration has led to an increased demand for English-language teaching even in countries where English is the dominant language. About the Author Dr. Xuesong Gao is an EAL teacher educator at the School of Education, University of New South Wales, Australia. He has been involved in language teacher education by directing teacher education programs and delivering professional development seminars on autonomous language learning, language learning strategy, 553 and reading for language teachers in a variety of contexts such as Hong Kong, mainland China, and Taiwan. His research interests include language learner autonomy, language policy, and language teacher education. Over the years, Dr. Xuesong has been promoting socio-cultural perspectives to understand language learners’ strategy use and language teachers’ professional development. His research has been funded by Research Grants Council (Hong Kong), Sumitomo Foundation (Japan), and the Standing Committee for Language Education and Research (Hong Kong). Relevant publications have appeared in the journals such as English Language Teaching Journal, Internatio