Susanne Rott

Email Address: srott@uic.edu
College: Liberal Arts and Sciences Department: Germanic Studies
Title: Associate Professor
Office: UH 1731 Phone: 312-413-2137
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes

Research Interest:
Learning vocabulary in a second language, second language reading strategies; working memory; Computer assisted language learning materials design. The goal of my research program is to better understand the cognitive processes involved in learning vocabulary by adult second language learners. The main goal of this research is to determine how learners progress from learning individual words to becoming fluent speakers of another language by being able to express their ideas in a nuanced way. Some of the research questions I am looking at are: a) which instructional materials affect the learning and the retention of new words, b) how do learners expand their second language vocabulary by learning multiple meanings and how words combine with other words; c) how can second language learners pick up vocabulary from reading; and d) how does pronunciation affect the learning of new words. Data collections happen in classrooms or in an online environment (such as wikis or voice blogs.

Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 3

Qualifications of a Student:
German major or minor; sophomore or junior

Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
Students are expected to be reliable and interested in second language learning and teaching. Students can be involved in all stages of the research process, including conducting experiments, coding data, data analysis, and literature searches.

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