Yanjie Li

Dr. Yanjie Li received her Ph.D. in Education from Washington University in St. Louis, specializing in Applied Linguistics. Her research interests involve reading in a foreign language (FL) and pedagogy. She has explored several factors (e.g., reading strategies, reader interest, working memory, and strategic adjunct questions) and how these variables interacted with FL reading comprehension. Her research findings have provided practitioners with practical implications for langue teaching and learning. 

Li has over six years of language teaching experience, including teaching beginning and intermediate-level Chinese language courses at the university level. She believes no teaching method is the best for all teaching contexts. Instead, pedagogy should vary depending on specific objectives. Her overarching goal as a teacher is always to promote an open mindset and create an inclusive and safe learning environment to support the continuous growth of each student. More specifically, her approach to teaching Chinese language and culture is inspired by three objectives for her students: building a solid linguistic foundation, balancing development in the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), and supporting the evolution of students’ intercultural communication competence.

In 2023, Li was honored with the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence and the Excellence in Educational Research Award.