Richard Robison - Azusa Pacific University

Richard Robison, Ph.D.

Director, On-campus TESOL Programs
Chair and Professor, Department of Global Studies, Sociology, and TESOL

Phone: (626) 815-6000, Ext. 3416
Email: rrobison@apu.edu
Fax: (626) 815-3871

Richard Robison, Ph.D., chairs a diverse department that embraces two separate graduate programs (Field-Based TESOL and On-Campus TESOL), two distinct undergraduate programs (Sociology and Global Studies) and an undergraduate TESOL minor. But with degrees in linguistics and applied linguistics, he teaches courses only in the graduate programs in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Robison’s passion and calling is to support and encourage both his faculty and his students. He has been engaged in ESL for over 20 years and in teacher preparation at APU since 1991. His research interests have included second language acquisition of verb tense and aspect, self-directed language learning, professional preparation of non-native English speaking teachers, and the ethics of teaching English as a vehicle for Christian mission.

Education

Ph.D. - University of California, Los Angeles
M.A. – University of California, Los Angeles
M.Div. - Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
S.B. – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Department

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Global Studies, Sociology, and TESOL

Expertise

Phonetics, Phonology, and Teaching Pronunciation

Professional Development of Non-Native English Speaking Teachers

Professional Ethics in Language Teaching and Christian Mission

Second Language Acquisition

Second Language Assessment

Teaching Grammar

Courses Taught

TESL 505 – Second-language Acquisition
TESL 515 – Teaching English Grammar
TESL 525 – Teaching English Pronunciation
TESL 570 – Second-language Assessment
TESL 589 – Research Methods in TESOL

Professional/Scholarly Presentations

Presentations
Robison, R. Speech/Pronunciation Journals for Graduate ESL Students, paper presented at the 36th Annual TESOL Convention, Salt Lake City, 2002.

Robison, R. Putting Audio Pronunciation Journals to Work, paper presented at the 37th Annual TESOL Convention, Baltimore, 2003.

Robison, R. Nurturing Autonomous Pronunciation Practice with Reflective Journals, paper presented at the 34th Annual CATESOL Conference, Pasadena, 2003.

Robison, R. Nonnative English Speakers Teaching Pronunciation, panel presentation at the 38th Annual TESOL Convention, Long Beach, 2004.

Robison, R. Forming a Christian response to Pennycook and Edge, panel participant at the Christians in English Language Teaching Conference, Long Beach, 2004.

Publications
Robison, R. "Truthfulness in English Teaching: Reflections of a Teacher Trainer at a Christian University." CETC Newsletter, Vol. 10, 3, (2006).

Robison, R. (1995). The aspect hypothesis revisited: A cross-sectional study of tense and aspect marking in interlanguage. Applied Linguistics, 16, 344-370.

Robison, R. (1990). The primacy of aspect: Aspectual marking in English interlanguage. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 12, 315-330.

View All Professional/Scholarly Presentations

Professional Experience

Academic Experience
Robison, R., Jiang, L., Lai, S., and Su, C. "Experiences of Nonnative English Speakers Teaching Pronunciation: Implications for Teachers and Teacher Educators." Unpublished manuscript; invited submission to TESOL Quarterly Vol. 40, 3, (2004). Special topic issue on pronunciation.

Office Hours

Wednesdays, 2-4 p.m. or by appointment

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences