New article of audience design and pragmatic conceptions of moves and upvotes during advice-giving on Reddit

This new paper by our Dr Rickey Lu, published in a Science Direct journal of Elsevier, investigates how advice-giving is conducted on Reddit, one of the most globally popular online sites where advice interactions routinely occur. The study involves building a corpus of Reddit advice-giving comments, which was analyzed for the types of moves that appeared. The data was then quantified in order to conduct statistical analyses to explore advice-giving variations by topic, as well as determining the association between moves and upvotes (a digital affordance on Reddit that users can use to interact with comments and posts, akin to the Facebook 'like'). Results show that advice-giving on Reddit is sensitive to the advice topic, and certain moves used during advice-giving are also correlated to variations in upvote scores. Dr Lu argues that these results indicate how different audiences of the advice interaction perceive the interactional goal of advice, highlighting how advice-givers and the audiences of Reddit often have conflicting views on how advice should be given. Ultimately, these findings underscore a need to explore advice from beyond a purely discursive level, by taking into account the mediated features of online platforms where advice often now increasingly take place. Open access to the article from HERE.

Joint article of Dr Molly Pan and Prof. Dennis Tay recognised as a Editors' Choice article in Lingua

An article written by our Dr Molly Pan and Prof. Dennis Tay titled, "The effectiveness of metaphors in Chinese video advertisements for depression: An experimental study", has been recognised as a Editors' Choice article in Lingua, a Science Direct journal of Elsevier. This research paper delves into the uncharted territory of the impact of metaphors in video advertisements for depression-related products. The study explores how metaphors can shape viewers' perceptions, cognitive and affective elaboration, attitudes towards the advertisement, and even their purchase intentions. The research methodology involved an experimental survey with 299 participants and semi-structured interviews with 29 individuals. The findings reveal that needs-highlighting metaphors outperformed other conditions in terms of cognitive elaboration, affective elaboration, attitudes towards the ad, and purchase intentions, irrespective of the product types. For experience products, features-highlighting metaphors proved to be the most effective, while for search products, they generated the lowest scores. The interviews showed that metaphors activated mental images, elicited a range of emotions, and significantly influenced the persuasive power of advertisements. However, it's crucial to note that reinforced negative appeals may lead to negative perceptions. The article is available HERE (free download till end December 2023).

New article on cognitive-linguistic difficulties in adults with Long COVID: A follow-up study

This new article by our Professor Louise Cummings published in Language and Health, a Science Direct journal under Elsevier, examines the impact of Long COVID on cognition and language. The study assessed 41 adults with Long COVID using a test protocol of 12 language tasks over a 6-month period. Findings reveal that while improvements occur in verbal fluency and the informativeness of spoken discourse, difficulties in immediate and delayed verbal recall persist long after the onset of COVID symptoms. These language difficulties may contribute to a lack of work return in these adults. The study highlights the need for speech-language pathology services and occupational health policies to support individuals with Long COVID. Long COVID, a debilitating illness that affects functioning for months and even years after infection, has significant implications for long-term health. Open access to the article from HERE.

Professor Hu Guangwei ranks among the World’s Top 2% Scientists

Our Prof. Hu Guangwei has been ranked again among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists in the newly released list compiled by Stanford University! Based on career-long data, Prof. Hu is one of the top 50 scholars worldwide in the field of languages and linguistics. He has been on the top 2% of most cited scientist lists for five consecutive years since 2019. Congrats to Prof. Hu on this well-deserved recognition! We are incredibly proud of his unwavering dedication and commitment to advancing knowledge in his field.

New joint paper on a scoping review of clinical mnemonic devices

Clinical handovers have been a concern for patient safety since the publication of To Err is Human in 1999. While mnemonic devices have been created to ensure safe handovers, no universal framework describes their clinical processes and functions. In this scoping review under the Oxford University Press, Dr Amos Yung and Prof. Bernadette Watson from our International Research Centre for the Advancement of Health Communication and Dr C S Pak (MBBS) developed a taxonomy from 42 identified handover mnemonics. The taxonomy contains three processes and twenty functions, including medical history, medical evaluation, care plans, and patient information. Communication manner and information validation were also identified. This taxonomy may aid medical practitioners in creating a clinical handover mnemonic appropriate for their workplace. More information about the paper can be found on the website HERE.

Awardees for The Stephen Evans Best Thesis Award and Best Paper Award 2023

Dr Xu Shaoxiong, our Postdoctoral Fellow, received The Stephen Evans Best Thesis Award 2023. His thesis's title is "Retraction Stigma Communication via Retraction Notices: A Corpus-based Multifactorial Investigation". Our PhD student, Aboh Sopuruchi Christian, received The Stephen Evans Best Paper Award 2023. His paper's title is "Nigerian students’ attitudes toward endonormative varieties of Nigerian English". More about The Stephen Evans Awards can be found on the website HERE.

New book on Theory and Practice from a Cognitive Perspective: Teaching English in Greater China

This new book by our Dr Renia Lopez, published under Springer Nature, integrates cognitive linguistics into existing classroom approaches, providing practical lesson plans. Developed by English teachers from China and Hong Kong, these plans offer step-by-step instructions, resources, and theory explanations. The lesson plans encourage teachers to be creative by adapting material to engage students. Although the target is English teachers, the theoretical principles apply to any foreign language, and the examples can be modified for other languages. It is not limited to Chinese contexts but appeals to those interested in embodied cognition as a teaching approach. It serves as a companion for teachers to reflect on their existing practices, to provide new ideas and to make them aware of the many factors affecting learning. More information about the book can be found on the website HERE.

New book on Migrant Workers' Narratives of Return: Alienation and Identity Transformations

This new book by our Professor Hans Ladegaard, published by Routledge, explores Indonesian and Filipina (domestic) migrant workers’ experiences of homecoming after years of work abroad, separated from their loved ones. Through 113 narratives, Prof. Ladegaard highlights the struggles faced by these workers in the diaspora, including abuse and exploitation leading to trauma. The book also delves into the challenges of coming home, with workers needing to reinvent themselves and navigate the difficulties of not 'fitting in.' Chapters reveal a major difference between the experiences of Filipina and Indonesian migrant workers, with Filipina returnees sharing mostly positive stories while Indonesian returnees uncover mostly negative stories. The book is not just an exploration of personal experiences but also sheds light on how research on disenfranchised groups like migrant workers can be used for social and political action. More information about the book can be found on the website HERE.

BA Graduate Employment Facts 2022

According to the 2022 PolyU Graduate Employment Survey, the average starting salary of graduates from our BA in English Studies for the Professions (BAESP) programme was HK$19,077 which is the highest among the three academic departments in the Faculty of Humanities. In addition, 94% of our graduates were employed full-time within their year of graduation or decided to pursue further studies. The Survey reported that our graduates were able to find jobs in over 10 employment sectors and the top 3 are: Education, Business Services/Real Estate, and Financial Institution/Insurance. This clearly shows they have a wide range of career paths. Our BA programme helps prepare students to become exemplary English language professionals ready for the demands of the 21st century. Our graduates are trained to be proficient and confident communicators and users of English, as preferred by many potential employers!  Download leaflet  

New joint paper on practitioner accounts of end-of-life communication in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Taiwan: a systematic review

This new joint article by our Dr Margo Turnbull, Dr Carol Yu, and PhD student Ivy Wu, published in Patient Education and Counseling, an Elsevier journal under ScienceDirect, examines the knowledge gap in intracultural aspects of end-of-life (EOL) communication in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan. The article presents a synthesis of practitioners’ accounts of EOL communication in these three locations. The review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO and systematically searched using the terms 'communication', 'End-of-Life', 'Hong Kong', 'China', and 'Taiwan'. The research highlights several factors that influence EOL communication, including Chinese culture and philosophy, inadequate communication skills training and psychological support for practitioners, and legislative and organizational factors. The study concludes that education and training for practitioners and public education about the EOL needs to be strengthened. An enhanced understanding of cultural influences on EOL communication will improve service delivery and increase awareness in multicultural communities. The practical implications of this research include increasing practical and workplace-based support for EOL workers to facilitate meaningful communication practices, and considering the influence of culture and the readiness of patients and families to engage in communication. Open access to the article from HERE.