Research

Title of Thesis

Linguacultural competence in business English communication: A mixed methods design study

Description of thesis research

My research focuses on business professionals using English as a business lingua franca (BELF) for their transnational communication, which requires linguacultural competence (LCC). In this study, a novel conceptual framework, the LCC framework, was developed to address the linguacultural competence of BELF learners and users. Adopting an experimental mixed methods intervention design, quantitative and qualitative data was collected from two groups of job-experienced Chinese professionals who use English for work: a control group receiving instruction on an existing business English (BE) textbook unit and an experimental group exposed to an adapted version of the unit specifically targeting two LCCs. It is hoped that this investigation provides insight into how to develop BE curricula to prepare learners for transcultural communication in the workplace, ideally contributing to more efficient professional communication and leading to socioeconomic improvement regionally and globally.  

Professional Affiliations

• Member of the organizing committee of the 2024 14^th International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice (ALAPP) at PolyU

• Member of the organizing committee of the 2025 Students’ Ongoing Research in Educational Studies (STORIES) conference at the University of Oxford

• Member of the Hong Kong Association for Applied Lingustics (HAAL)

• Member of the Education, Languages and Internationalisation Network (ELINET) Global Englishes (GE) Strand

• Member of the TESOL International Association www.tesol.org

• Member of IATEFL and the Business English Special Interest Group (SIG)

• Member of Asia TEFL

• Member of the LSPPC: the Asia-Pacific LSP & Professional Communication Association

• Organizing member of "Conversations about BELF" 

Conference Presentations

• Haga, H., and Peltonen, L. (2024). The relevance of BELF to teaching practices: A mixed methods exploratory sequential study. ELF14 Conference. September 9, 2024. Prague City University.

• Qiu, X., and Peltonen, L. (2024). Chinese EFL learners’ performance in pragmatic assessment tasks: A comparative analysis of pragmatic and linguistic production. Hong Kong Second Language Acquisition Research Forum 2024. March 9, 2024. The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

• Peltonen, L. (2023). Plenary Speech: Linguaculture in Business English as a Lingua Franca: Textbook Adaptation and Classroom Implementation. 2023 Forum on English, Bilingual and EMI Education. The National Dong Hwa University of Taiwan. June 16, 2023. Virtual.

• Peltonen, L. (2023). Plenary Speech: The Place of Linguacultural Competence in a chatGPT-created curriculum. V APIBA Business English Conference. Asociacion de Profesores de Ingles de Buenos Aires, y Universidad de Belgrano. June 3, 2023. Virtual.

• Peltonen, L. (2023). Linguaculture in Business English as a Lingua Franca: Levels and Orientations – Analysis and Evaluation of Business English Textbooks. Joint Conference: Talking Across the World & Business and professional communication in a changing world. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong. May 17, 2023. Hong Kong.

• Peltonen, L. (2023). The Place of Linguacultural Competence in a Business English Textbook. The 1^st Annual Education, Languages and Internationalisation Network (ELINET) Conference. The University of Glasgow. April 15, 2023. Virtual.

• Peltonen, L. (2023). Building Linguacultural Competence into a Business English Textbook. TESOL 2023 Convention. April 3, 2023. Virtual.

• Peltonen, L. (2023). Building Linguacultural Competence into a Business English Textbook. Conversations about BELF. January 28, 2023. Virtual.

• Peltonen, L. (2022).  Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF) Pedagogy in Asia: Taking a Deep Dive into a Business English Textbook Unit. 18^th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching. February 18, 2022. Virtual.

Teaching

• Guangdong Experimental High School, Guangzhou, China (Aug 2021 to 2022)

  Business Foundations, SSAP Department

  • Combine improving English language competency along with building subject knowledge, analytical ability, and academic skills.

• Wall Street English, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (July 2017 to July 2021)

  Senior Teacher & Project Consultant, VVIP Department

  • Develop course curricula and offer Business English training to Guangzhou’s largest firms: HSBC, Maersk Shipping, China Southern Power Grid, L’Oreal, GAC, Capgemini, eFund Asset Management, etc.

• Neusoft Institute Guangdong, Foshan, Guangdong, China (Aug 2016 to July 2017)

  Business English and Culture Teacher, English Department

  • Introduce concepts of Business English as well as western culture to Sophomore English majors and non-majors.

Service

• The English-Speaking Union

  Volunteer English Tutor, New York, NY, Oct 2013 to March 2014

• The International Center

  Volunteer English Tutor, New York, NY, June 2011 to June 2012

• WorldTeach

  Volunteer Teacher, Hunan Province, China, June 2010 to Aug 2010

• English in Action

  Volunteer English Tutor, El Jebel, CO, June 2008 to June 2010

Research Activities

Recognised Student and Co-Author                       January 2025 – Present
Host institution: The University of Oxford, Department of Education
Supervisor: Professor Heath Rose

• Co-authoring the research article: Linguacultural competence in business English communication: A mixed methods intervention design study
  

Research Assistant and Co-Author                         Sept 2023 - Present
Funding Body: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of English Start-up Fund for New Recruits (2023-2025)
Title: Exploring task-based second language assessment in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication: An exploratory study 
Principal Investigator: Dr. Xuyan Qiu

• Co-authoring the research article: The impact of power-distance-imposition degree and task type on EFL learners’ pragmatic and linguistic production in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication.

Awards, Grants, and Fellowships

• PolyU PhD Scholars International Collaborative Research Fellowship. (July 2024)

“PolyU PhD Scholars is a prestigious fellowship that offers a competitive grant to support outstanding PhD students to conduct international collaborative research at top-notch global universities.” This award was granted for a research project to be conducted at the University of Oxford with Professor Heath Rose.

• PolyU Research Student Attachment Programme. (July 2024)

“Through Research Student Attachment Programme, the Graduate School of PolyU supports attachment studies both to/from leading institutions worldwide.” This award was granted for a research project to be conducted at the University of Oxford with Professor Heath Rose.

• Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) 2022/2023 Awardee 

“Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong in 2009, the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong’s universities.” Three-year fellows are selected based on academic excellence, research ability and potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

• Excellence Prize (Nov 2019)

National: The Fifth Foreign Language Mini-Class Competition of the National University Teaching Creativity and Innovation Competition of China: Our Lesson: “Political Correctness with Peppa Pig.” Collaborated with Ning ZiDan of Neusoft Institute Guangdong.

• First Prize (Oct 2019)

Guangdong Province: The Fifth Foreign Language Mini-Class Competition of the National University Teaching Creativity and Innovation Competition of China: Our Lesson: “Political Correctness with Peppa Pig.”  Collaborated with Ning ZiDan of Neusoft Institute Guangdong.