Current Lab Members
James E. Purpura (PhD, UCLA) is Director of the SBA Research Lab and Professor of Language and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
James E. Purpura (PhD, UCLA) is Director of the SBA Research Lab and Professor of Language and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Payman Vafaee is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. He earned his Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Maryland, with a dissertation on the relative contributions of lexical and syntactic knowledge in second language listening comprehension. Payman is the recipient of Albert Valdman Award from the journal of Studies in Second Language Acquisition and Cambridge University Press for publishing the best paper in 2017, titled "Validating grammaticality judgment tests: Evidence from two new psycholinguistic measures". His research interests include second language assessment and testing, quantitative research methodology, instructed SLA, and cognitive individual differences in SLA. He has published in several journals, including Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Instructed Second Language Acquisition, Journal of Second Language Studies, Studies in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, and International Journal of Language Testing.
Payman Vafaee is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. He earned his Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Maryland, with a dissertation on the relative contributions of lexical and syntactic knowledge in second language listening comprehension. Payman is the recipient of Albert Valdman Award from the journal of Studies in Second Language Acquisition and Cambridge University Press for publishing the best paper in 2017, titled "Validating grammaticality judgment tests: Evidence from two new psycholinguistic measures". His research interests include second language assessment and testing, quantitative research methodology, instructed SLA, and cognitive individual differences in SLA. He has published in several journals, including Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Instructed Second Language Acquisition, Journal of Second Language Studies, Studies in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, and International Journal of Language Testing.
Dr. Heidi Liu Banerjee is the project manager of the SBLA Lab. She is also an assistant teaching professor in the NU Global program at Northeastern University. Dr. Banerjee’s research and teaching interests include developing game- and scenario-based assessments and implementing learning-oriented assessment in language classrooms. Her dissertation, which investigates the construct of topical knowledge in a scenario-based language assessment, received a TIRF (The International Research Foundation for English Language Education) Doctoral Dissertation Grant and as well as ETS TOEFL (Educational Testing Service Test of English as a Foreign Language) Small Grants for Doctoral Research in Second or Foreign Language Assessment, and it was selected as the finalist for the Jacqueline Ross TOEFL Dissertation Award.
Dr. Heidi Liu Banerjee is the project manager of the SBLA Lab. She is also an assistant teaching professor in the NU Global program at Northeastern University. Dr. Banerjee’s research and teaching interests include developing game- and scenario-based assessments and implementing learning-oriented assessment in language classrooms. Her dissertation, which investigates the construct of topical knowledge in a scenario-based language assessment, received a TIRF (The International Research Foundation for English Language Education) Doctoral Dissertation Grant and as well as ETS TOEFL (Educational Testing Service Test of English as a Foreign Language) Small Grants for Doctoral Research in Second or Foreign Language Assessment, and it was selected as the finalist for the Jacqueline Ross TOEFL Dissertation Award.
Jorge Beltrán Zúñiga is a doctoral candidate in applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, pursuing a concentration in second language assessment. He is currently working on his dissertation on speaking assessment. He pursued a Master of Education at Teachers College, also in Applied Linguistics. He has been in the field of language teaching since 2010, and has experience teaching ESL/EFL, Spanish and Italian in the US and Mexico. His research interests and current projects include studies of scenario-based tests, speaking assessment, narrative writing, and studies of classroom-based assessment. His work has been presented at professional conferences such as the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC), American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL), the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), East Coast Organization of Language Testers (ECOLT), and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Jorge Beltrán Zúñiga is a doctoral candidate in applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University, pursuing a concentration in second language assessment. He is currently working on his dissertation on speaking assessment. He pursued a Master of Education at Teachers College, also in Applied Linguistics. He has been in the field of language teaching since 2010, and has experience teaching ESL/EFL, Spanish and Italian in the US and Mexico. His research interests and current projects include studies of scenario-based tests, speaking assessment, narrative writing, and studies of classroom-based assessment. His work has been presented at professional conferences such as the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC), American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL), the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), East Coast Organization of Language Testers (ECOLT), and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Soo Hyoung Joo is a doctoral student in the Applied Linguistics Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught ESL and EFL learners since 2008. She worked as an item writer for ETS, Pearson, and Cambridge University Press, and as an assessment editor for Oxford University Press. She served as chair for TESOL/AL Roundtable and recently worked as Program Associate for the Applied Linguistics and TESOL Program at Teachers College. Her research focus is on second language assessment, in particular learning-oriented assessment, scenario-based assessment, and the use of technology in assessment.
Soo Hyoung Joo is a doctoral student in the Applied Linguistics Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught ESL and EFL learners since 2008. She worked as an item writer for ETS, Pearson, and Cambridge University Press, and as an assessment editor for Oxford University Press. She served as chair for TESOL/AL Roundtable and recently worked as Program Associate for the Applied Linguistics and TESOL Program at Teachers College. Her research focus is on second language assessment, in particular learning-oriented assessment, scenario-based assessment, and the use of technology in assessment.
Daniel recently returned to Teachers College as a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics, the Second Language Assessment track. He previously received his MA in TESOL from TC in 2017, and, after graduating, taught at a graduate-level, intensive English program operated through Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies in Boston. His other experience in language teaching and testing include working as an ESL/EFL instructor for over ten years in the United States and Russia, and working as an IELTS Speaking and Writing Examiner for five years. His research interests include L2 acquisitional patterns in pragmatic development and the assessment of L2 pragmatics.
Daniel recently returned to Teachers College as a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics, the Second Language Assessment track. He previously received his MA in TESOL from TC in 2017, and, after graduating, taught at a graduate-level, intensive English program operated through Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies in Boston. His other experience in language teaching and testing include working as an ESL/EFL instructor for over ten years in the United States and Russia, and working as an IELTS Speaking and Writing Examiner for five years. His research interests include L2 acquisitional patterns in pragmatic development and the assessment of L2 pragmatics.
Miriah is an Ed.M. student in Applied Linguistics at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. She graduated from Oklahoma City University with her M.A. in TESOL with a focus on adult ESL education. Her research interests include discourse analysis, language assessment, and second language acquisition.
Miriah is an Ed.M. student in Applied Linguistics at Teacher’s College, Columbia University. She graduated from Oklahoma City University with her M.A. in TESOL with a focus on adult ESL education. Her research interests include discourse analysis, language assessment, and second language acquisition.
Former Members
Brian A. Carroll graduated from Ohio State University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree Russian language & literature. After college, Brian relocated to St. Petersburg, Russia to study Russian language and teach English as a foreign language. After studying and teaching abroad for five years, Brian relocated to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in education at Teachers College Columbia University. Currently, Brian is a doctoral student in second language assessment at Teachers College, Columbia University. Brian’s main academic areas of interest include classroom-based language assessment, educational measurement, cognitive psychology, and education technology.
Saerhim Oh is a Research Scientist at Educational Testing Service (ETS) where she conducts research on second language assessment, particularly related to the TOEIC® family of assessment. Her research interests include second language writing assessment, technology-enhanced language assessment, and assessment of language proficiency in the workplace. Her work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Second Language Writing, Language Assessment Quarterly, and System. She received her Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University and is the 2019 Jaqueline Ross TOEFL Dissertation Award recipient.
Mahshad is a doctoral student in the applied linguistic program of Teachers College in the second language assessment track. She has an MA in teaching English as a foreign language which she received back in 2007 in Iran. She attended Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, from 2007 to 2011 where she got her PhD in Applied Linguistics, in the EIL track (English as an international language). She joined Educational Testing Service (ETS) as a test developer and consultant in 2012 and currently works as a rater for them, rating the speaking section of the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). For her research, Mahshad is interested in innovative approaches to test crafting (such as SBA) as well as the role of technology in enhancing our understanding and improvement of second language tests. She has been working on the English SBA and is now in the Persian SBA test development team.
Brady B. Robinson was a research assistant in the SBA Research Lab from 2019-2020. He completed his M.A. in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College in 2020. During his time with the lab, he conducted an automated scoring research project, and presented SBA research at the NYS TESOL 49th Annual Conference and the AL/TESOL Research and Pedagogy forum at TC. Brady is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at the University of Delaware.
Michelle Stabler-Havener is a doctoral student in Applied Linguistics, second language assessment track, at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Senior Instructional Designer at Educational Testing Service. She was a Senior English Language Fellow for the U.S. Department of State and a Doctoral Teaching Fellow at Teachers College. She also has over twenty years of instructional experience. In addition to scenario-based assessment, her research interests include language assessment literacy, classroom-based assessment, teacher professional development, and instructional design.
As of completing her Masters in Applied Linguistics in 2021 at Teachers College, Emma has been pursuing a career oriented toward language justice and non-dominant language education. Her primary interests include pragmatics and sociolinguistics. In addition to the SBLA Lab, Emma has been involved in a number of other research teams, including the Online Language Learning Project and the American Institutes for Research. Emma completed her Bachelors in Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she primarily focused on syntax. She believes this background in formal linguistics has greatly bolstered her approach to language assessment, pedagogy, and research.
Andrew is an MA student in the applied linguistics program at Teachers College, Columbia University. He holds a BA in linguistics and English from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he also minored in Hebrew and Jewish studies. As a researcher, he's interested in phonetics and phonology, with a particular interest in how people acquire the phonemes of their second language.
Rebecca is an MA student in Applied Linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. She graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in English (Linguistics) and History along with a minor in Chinese. Her research interests include second language acquisition, language assessment, and language policy and planning. She feels most at home in front of the classroom, and has experience teaching EFL/ESL in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States. As a Zankel Urban Fellow, she now works at a public elementary school in Central Harlem as a reading interventionist for second grade students.