Robert Woore

Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics; Course Director, MSc Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (ALSLA)

About me

Robert is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and director of the MSc in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (ALSLA). His main research interests centre on instructed foreign language learning and teaching, particularly in school settings. He is particularly interested in: reading skills and strategies; the role of phonology in reading; the teaching of phonics; language teachers’ professional learning; and the teaching and learning of Languages Other Than English (LOTE), including Chinese and Arabic as well as the more commonly taught European languages of French, German and Spanish. As a former secondary school teacher, Robert is passionate about building stronger links between research and classroom practice.

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, Teacher Education and Professional Learning 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.

Subjects Taught

  • DPhil in Education
  • MSc in Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
  • MSc in Learning and Teaching
  • MSc in Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching
  • PGCE

Doctoral Applications

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, particularly amongst school-aged learners
  • The development of phonological decoding in a foreign language (L2), in learners of different languages and with different first language 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, Arabic, French, German and Spanish as a Foreign Language.

Funded Research Projects

A systematic review of evidence on the learning and teaching of Arabic as an Additional Language
Role: Co-PI; Funder: Qatar Foundation International
2023-2025
Motivation for learning Chinese compared to European Languages: An exploration in English Secondary Schools
Role: Co-PI; Funder: Swire Chinese Language Foundation
2023-2024
A scoping review into the teaching and learning of Arabic as an Additional Language
Role: Co-PI; Funder: Qatar Foundation International
2022-2023
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
Role: Principal Investigator; Funder: ESRC Impact Acceleration Account
July - September 2020
Foreign language learning and its impact on wider academic outcomes: A rapid evidence assessment
Role: Co-Investigator; Funder: Education Endowment Foundation
September 2019 - January 2020
Consolidating the evidence base for MFL curriculum, pedagogy and assessment reform at GCSE: An investigation of pupils' and teachers' views
Role: Co-Principal Investigator; Funder: UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund
January - May 2020
Learning and teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language: a systematic review of research evidence
Role: Principal Investigator; Funder: OU Department of Education Small Grants Committee
November 2017 - June 2018
A Pedagogical Assessment System to support Modern Foreign Language learning: a proof of concept trial
Role: Principal Investigator; Funder: University of Oxford John Fell Fund
September 2015 - June 2016
• Professional Development Consortium in Modern Foreign Languages
Role: Co-Investigator; Funder: ESRC
2012-2014