Alan Urmston

Assistant Professor
Room CF701b
Language Testing Unit
English Language Centre
Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Tel: 852 27667554
Fax: 852 23644742
Email: ecalanu@polyu.edu.hk

I am Assistant Professor in the English Language Centre at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Team Leader responsible for the Graduating Students Language Proficiency Assessment (GSLPA).

I have been working in Hong Kong since 1989. In addition to working at Poly U, I have taught English in the local secondary and tertiary sectors. Between 2001 and 2005 I was Subject Officer for the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (English) at the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority.

I hold a PhD (with distinction) in Educational Linguistics from the University of Luton (now the University of Bedfordshire) and an MA (with distinction) in TESL from the City University of Hong Kong.

 

Academic and Professional Interests

  • Second language assessment
  • Language education and societal change
  • Second language teacher education

 

Research Projects

As Principal Investigator

·         A Project to Investigate Preliminary Claims of Linkage of the GSLPA (English) with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

Funds awarded by Dean’s Reserve Fund

Amount: $416,000

Project code: 87QK

Date: Jan 08 – Jun 09

Link to research website: http://gslpa.polyu.edu.hk/eng/web/project.html

 

Consultancies

·         Revision of the Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers (English Language) LPATE

Commissioned by Education Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR

Date: Sep 06 – Oct 07

 

·        Testing Expert Services for a Specialized Training Programme on English Language Testing

Commissioned by the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council

Date: Jul 06 – Jun 07

 

Publications

Urmston, A. & Pennington, M. C. (2008). The beliefs and practices of novice teachers in Hong Kong: change and resistance to change in an Asian teaching context. In T.S.C. Farrell (Ed.), Novice Language Teachers: Insights and Perspectives for the First Year (pp. 89–103). London: Equinox Publishing Ltd.

 

Urmston, A. (2003). Learning to Teach English in Hong Kong: The Opinions of Teachers in Training. Language and Education, 17(2), 112-137.

 

Urmston, A. (1998). Patterns of Change in an English Language Teaching Community: Hong Kong During the Period of Transition from British to Chinese Rule. Research Report, Series 1, No. 4, Language Research Centre, University of Luton.

Urmston, A. (1998). Changing Negative Attitudes. In J.C. Richards (Ed.), Teaching in Action: Case Studies from Second Language Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: TESOL, pp.160-163.

 

Pennington, M. C., Richards, J. C., Urmston, A., & Lee, Y. P. (1996). Learning to teach English in Hong Kong: The first year in the classroom. Research Monograph No. 13, Department of English, City University of Hong Kong.

 

Conference Presentations

Urmston, A. & Fang, F. (2008). Stakeholder Involvement in the Language Assessment Evaluation Process: A Hong Kong Case Study. Paper presented at the 30th Language Testing Research Colloquium, Hangzhou, June 2008.

 

Urmston, A. (2008). The Effects of having an English Language Exit Test on Teaching, Learning and Assessment at Tertiary Level in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the International Conference on Language Issues in English-medium Universities, University of Hong Kong, June 2008 (invited colloquium).

 

Fang, F. & Urmston, A. (2007). A Discourse-analytical Approach to the Validation of the Revised LPATE Speaking Test. Paper presented at the International Conference on Language Testing, Beijing, November 2007.

 

Urmston, A., & Knight, M. (2007). The LPATE: Revising a High Stakes Assessment. Poster presented at the 29th Language Testing Research Colloquium, Barcelona, June 2007.

 

Urmston, A., & Knight, M. (2006). Relaunching the Graduating Students’ Language Proficiency Assessment in Hong Kong. Work in Progress presented at the 28th Language Testing Research Colloquium, Melbourne, June 2006.

 

Urmston, A. (2006). Back to the Future? The Graduating Students’ Language Proficiency Assessment. Seminar given to teachers of English Language Centre, City University of Hong Kong, January 2006

 

Urmston, A. (2006). The LPATE: What has it told us about English Teachers’ Language Proficiency? Language Centre Seminar Series No.1: Baptist University of Hong Kong, January 2006

 

Urmston, A. (2004). The LPATE Writing Test: An Innovative Test of Teachers’ Essential Knowledge or an Unnecessary Hurdle? Paper presented at the 18th International Language in Education Conference, Hong Kong Institute of Education, December 2004

 

Urmston, A. (2003). Do they do what they say they do? Comparisons between Assessor Feedback and Candidates' Performance in a High-stakes English Speaking Test. Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on English Language Testing in Asia, Seoul, September 2003

 

Urmston, A. (2002). The Language Proficiency Assessment for Teachers of English in Hong Kong. Work in Progress presented at the 24th Language Testing Research Colloquium, Hong Kong, December 2002.

 

Urmston, A. (2002). Modeling Teacher Change in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Association of Applied Linguistics, Sheraton City Centre, Salt Lake City, April 2002.

 

Urmston, A. (2001). Changes in English Teaching in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Convention and Exposition of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Americas Centre, St. Louis, March 2001.

 

Urmston, A. (1999). English Teaching in Hong Kong after the Transition. Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Convention and Exposition of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Hilton Hotel & Towers, New York, March 1999.

 

Urmston, A. (1999). Learning to Teach English in Hong Kong: The Opinions of Teachers in Training. Paper presented at the International Conference on Teacher Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education, February 1999.