Robert is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and lead tutor for the Modern Languages PGCE course. His main research interests centre on instructed foreign language learning and teaching, particularly in school settings. He is interested in particular in the development of reading skills and strategies, the role of phonology in reading and the teaching of phonics. He is passionate about building stronger links between research and classroom practice, and is a team member of the NCELP (National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy).

Robert teaches and supervises on the PGCE, MSc ALSLA, MSc ALLT, Masters in Learning and Teaching and doctoral programmes. He is a member of the Applied Linguistics, Teaching and Teacher Education and Subject Pedagogy research groups.

Robert obtained an Honours degree in Modern Languages (French and German), an MPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology, an MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition, an MSc in Educational Research Methods and a DPhil in Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford. After completing a PGCE in Modern Languages at the University of Sheffield in 1998, he worked as a secondary school teacher of French, German and Outdoor Education before joining the department in 2007.

Robert would particularly welcome doctoral applications from students interested in the following topics:

  • The learning and teaching of foreign languages in instructed settings, particularly in respect of reading skills and strategies, phonology and motivation.
  • Teaching phonics in a foreign language context
  • The development of second language (L2) phonological decoding (print-to-sound conversion) in learners of a range of different L2s and with a range of L1 backgrounds
  • The impact of L2 phonological decoding on other aspects of L2 learning, such as vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension, motivation, listening comprehension and speaking.
  • The learning and teaching of Chinese as a Foreign Language

Research

Books
  • Macaro, E., & Woore, R. (2021). Debates in Second Language Education. Routledge.

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Improving Foreign Language Teaching: Towards a Research-Based Curriculum and Pedagogy (pp. 1-216).

  • Book chapters
  • Molway, L., Mutton, T., Woore, R., & Porter, K. (2018). What are the possibilities and limitations of small-scale, mediated classroom interventions? Two cases from Modern Foreign Languages. In G. Stylianides & A. Childs (Eds.), Classroom-based Interventions Across Subject Areas: Research to Understand What Works in Education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315170077
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c5171efa-34fc-420c-86a2-b5a32b53e6cb

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Reading and listening Developing knowledge and making the most of it. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 31-67).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Oral interaction in the second language classroom. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 10-30).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Improving Foreign Language Teaching Towards a research-based curriculum and pedagogy By way of conclusion. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 181-185).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Developing the learner through writing Recursion and compromise. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 68-92).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). A pedagogical assessment system. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 93-124).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). The problem with ’improving - language learning’. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (p. 1 - +).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). The PDCinMFL project. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 143-164).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Putting the principles into practice. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 165-180).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Preparing to become and continuing to be a language teacher. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 125-142).

  • Macaro, E., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2016). Assessment framework for MFL. In IMPROVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING: TOWARDS A RESEARCH-BASED CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (pp. 198-209).

  • Mutton, T., & Woore, R. (2014). Designing Tasks to Promote Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom. In Designing Tasks in Secondary Education (pp. 129-151). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315755434-8
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315755434-8

  • Mutton, T., & Woore, R. (2014). Promoting Learning: Task design in the Foreign Language classroom. In I. Thompson (Ed.), Designing Tasks in Secondary Education: Enhancing subject understanding and student engagement. Routledge.

  • Woore, R. (2014). Developing reading and decoding in the modern foreign languages classroom. In DEBATES IN MODERN LANGUAGES EDUCATION (pp. 81-95).

  • Woore, R. (n.d.). Teaching phonics in a second language. In Debates in Second Language Education (pp. 222-246). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003008361-15
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003008361-15

  • Woore, R., & Macaro, E. (n.d.). Identifying key debates in second language teaching and learning. In Debates in Second Language Education (pp. 9-31). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003008361-3
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003008361-3

  • Journal articles
  • Li, S., & Woore, R. (2023). How Chinese learners decode L2 English words: evidence from a phonics instruction programme. Reading Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.515
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:bf6202ad-d668-416c-a3bc-93946b3b064b

  • Chan, J., Woore, R., Molway, L., & Mutton, T. (2022). Learning and teaching Chinese as a foreign language: A scoping review. Review of Education, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3370
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3370

  • Chan, J., Woore, R., Molway, L., & Mutton, T. (2022). Learning and teaching Chinese as a foreign language: a scoping review. Review of Education, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3370
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8eb0cefe-96ff-44ca-87c4-57099cea1975

  • Woore, R., Molway, L., & Macaro, E. (2022). Keeping sight of the big picture: a critical response to Ofsted’s 2021 Curriculum Research Review for languages. Language Learning Journal, 50(2), 146-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2022.2045677
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3a80650a-b4bb-446a-8b75-fdd4f56761c6

  • Woore, R. (2022). What can second language acquisition research tell us about the phonics ’pillar’?. Language Learning Journal, 50(2), 172-185. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2022.2045683
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:cccdaca3-a1de-4cbd-8c1e-f7ecc07988ed

  • Li, S., & Woore, R. (2021). The effects of phonics instruction on L2 phonological decoding and vocabulary learning: an experimental study of Chinese EFL learners. System, 103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102677
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:de38c21b-7524-49ab-91d2-80af0571dcd4

  • Blázquez Carretero, M., & Woore, R. (2021). Can a ’pedagogical’ spellchecker improve spelling accuracy in L2 Spanish?. Language Learning and Technology, 25(2), 135-157. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:887000e0-ff53-450f-950b-f7154ad85cb0
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:887000e0-ff53-450f-950b-f7154ad85cb0

  • Graham, S., Woore, R., Porter, A., Courtney, A., & Savory, C. (2020). Navigating the challenges of L2 reading: Self-efficacy, self-regulatory reading strategies and learner profiles. Modern Language Journal, 104(4), 693-714. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12670
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:582b310e-0502-4534-86bf-07a89810d3b4

  • Woore, R., Mutton, T., & Molway, L. (2020). ‘It’s definitely part of who I am in the role’. Developing teachers’ research engagement through a subject-specific Master’s programme. Teacher Development, 24(1), 88-107. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2019.1693421
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:0f4e5cf8-4970-42e3-9710-21b3c96d1179

  • Arndt, H., & Woore, R. (2018). Vocabulary learning from watching Youtube videos and reading blog posts. Language Learning and Technology, 22(3), 124-142. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e5159356-78e6-4560-bd94-8d7242b256f8
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:e5159356-78e6-4560-bd94-8d7242b256f8

  • Woore, R. (2016). Learners’ pronunciations of familiar and unfamiliar French words: what can they tell us about phonological decoding in an L2?. Language Learning Journal, 46(4), 456-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2016.1161062
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:72490d4b-1a5e-44fe-b031-472a868089ac

  • Woore, R. (2016). Book Review: Amanda Howard and Helen Donaghue (eds.) (2015) Teacher Evaluation in Second Language Education. London, New York: Bloomsbury. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 26(1), 120-124. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12142
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9bf52a44-dc49-4180-95b8-41af4e4dd0c8

  • Woore, R. (2014). Beginner learners’ progress in decoding L2 French: Transfer effects in typologically similar L1-L2 writing systems. Writing Systems Research, 6(2), 167-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/17586801.2013.838536
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17586801.2013.838536

  • Woore, R. (2013). Beginner learners’ progress in decoding L2 French: Transfer effects in typologically similar L1-L2 writing systems. Writing Systems Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/17586801.2013.838536
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17586801.2013.838536

  • Woore, R. (2010). Thinking aloud about L2 decoding: An exploration of the strategies used by beginner learners when pronouncing unfamiliar French words. Language Learning Journal, 38(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730903545210
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730903545210

  • Woore, R. (2009). Beginners’ progress in decoding L2 French: Some longitudinal evidence from English modern foreign languages classrooms. Language Learning Journal, 37(1), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730902717398
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730902717398

  • Woore, R. (2007). ’Weisse Maus in meinem Haus’: Using poems and learner strategies to help learners decode the sounds of the L2. Language Learning Journal, 35(2), 175-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730701599211
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571730701599211

  • Reports
  • Savory, C., Graham, S., & Woore, R. (2021). Content and assessment at GCSE: an investigation of teachers’ views. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:77b6c7bb-77a7-49fe-b8b5-110046211d8c
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:77b6c7bb-77a7-49fe-b8b5-110046211d8c

  • Woore, R., Graham, S., Kohl, K., Courtney, L., & Savory, C. (2020). Consolidating the evidence base for MFL curriculum, pedagogy and assessment reform at GCSE: an investigation of teachers’ views. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1f797d25-98b4-4b89-863a-779b2348ae20
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:1f797d25-98b4-4b89-863a-779b2348ae20

  • Murphy, V., Arndt, H., Briggs Baffoe-Djan, J., Chalmers, H., Macaro, E., Rose, H., Vanderplank, R., & Woore, R. (2020). Foreign language learning and its impact on wider academic outcomes: A rapid evidence assessment. Education Endowment Foundation. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4e6f26ba-44b3-452c-b959-18150b9d4093
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4e6f26ba-44b3-452c-b959-18150b9d4093

  • Woore, R., Graham, S., Porter, A., Courtney, L., & Savory, C. (2018). Foreign Language Education: Unlocking Reading (FLEUR) - A study into the teaching of reading to beginner learners of French in secondary school. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4b0cb239-72f0-49e4-8f32-3672625884f0
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4b0cb239-72f0-49e4-8f32-3672625884f0

  • Woore, R. (2015). Madrid, a Bilingual Community: a view from the classroom. In Unpublished report for EMI Oxford: Centre for Research and Development on English Medium Instruction. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4f67707e-1f83-4a6c-9e9c-0eb60af8f7d4
    https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4f67707e-1f83-4a6c-9e9c-0eb60af8f7d4

  • RAMEZANZADEH, A.-M., & WOORE, R. (n.d.). A scoping review into the teaching and learning of Arabic as an additional language.

  • Other
  • Woore, R. (n.d.). Developing and applying knowledge of L2 grapheme – phoneme correspondences amongst beginner learners of German. University of Oxford.

  • Funded Research Projects

    • Online Language Learning for All (OLLA): developing a catalogue of accessible online resources to support students’ foreign language learning beyond the classroom in times of COVID-19
      July - September 2020
    • Foreign language learning and its impact on wider academic outcomes: A rapid evidence assessment
      September 2019 - January 2020
    • Consolidating the evidence base for MFL curriculum, pedagogy and assessment reform at GCSE: An investigation of pupils' and teachers' views
      January - May 2020
    • Learning and teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language: a systematic review of research evidence
      November 2017 - June 2018
    • A Pedagogical Assessment System to support Modern Foreign Language learning: a proof of concept trial
      September 2015 - June 2016