Nicole Schmidt Conference Summary

Nicole Schmidt Conference Summary

Nicole Schmidt
Ph.D. Candidate
Second Language Acquisition and Teaching

The Symposium on Second Language Writing

Tempe, AZ

November 13-16, 2019

I used my funds from the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award to attend the Symposium for Second Language Writing (SSLW) in Tempe, Arizona. This conference attracts international scholars in the field of second language writing. During this conference, I presented my paper, “The TPACK Impact: A Framework to Guide Professional Development for Second Language Writing Teachers,” and I received feedback about my research at the end of the presentation. The study I presented on was a part of my dissertation research. It was a study which involved using a well-established theoretical framework from the field of educational technology to develop an online corpus-based pedagogy workshop series. Presenting this research gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own work and contribution to my field. It also gave me ideas for future research projects. I was also able to attend several other presentations focused on the development of writers of English as an additional language. In these presentations, I learned about various initiatives taken at other universities to support multilingual writers in academic environments. I also achieved a deeper understanding about the relationship between self-efficacy, self-perception, and self-regulation in second language writers. During a panel discussion on genre pedagogy, I was able to hear from leading and emerging genre scholars. The evening reception and refreshment breaks throughout the conference provided opportunities to meet a wide range of colleagues and professors in my field with whom I was able to discuss our related research interests and future opportunities for collaboration. Receiving the Carter Travel Award made it possible to attend these talks, strengthen existing relationships, and form new professional networks. For this reason, I am deeply grateful to receive this grant money.