Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Dr Katherina Walper

Lecturer in Applied Linguistics

Background

I am a Chilean teacher trainer and work within the Applied Linguistics and Communication subject area. I specialise in Multimodal Conversation Analysis and my teaching and research focus is classroom interaction and Applied Linguistics in TESOL. I currently lead the modules Language Awareness and TESOL for Young Learners, and collaborate with colleagues on Research Portfolio (MA CCC) and Research Methods (TESOL).


Current Research Projects

I am actively involved in several TESOL-related research initiatives:

  • Chilean Initiation in Research Project: This project explores the use of Conversation Analysis in teacher training to enhance Pre-Service Teachers' Interactional Awareness in southern Chile, spanning from Valdivia to Punta Arenas. Funded by the Chilean Agency for Research ANID/Fondecyt de Iniciación 11230986.
  • English L2 Oral Exams in German High Schools: In collaboration with Dr Philipp Siepmann (Universität Münster), we investigate oral exam interactions in pre- and post-intervention task designs. Our aim is to understand how task-based assessment fosters interactional patterns that more closely resemble naturally occurring conversations, thereby better showcasing students' Interactional Competence (L2 IC).
  • English L2 Oral Tests in Turkish Higher Education: Together with Dr Fatma Badem-Korkmaz (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya), Dr Chris Leyland, and Dr Mike Stephenson(Newcastle University), we are analysing turn design in university-level oral exams in Turkey.
  • Newly-qualified teachers' personal narratives and professional development: In partnership with MA (c) Florencia Fuentes (Universidad Austral de Chile), we are examining the impact of a series of Conversation Analysis-based workshops to enhance their understanding of classroom interaction and their interactional awareness.
  • Pre-Service Teacher Training in Chile: In collaboration with Dr Andrea Lizasoain (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), we are exploring the profile of Chilean Pre-Service Teachers and how they implement Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) practices in public and subsidised school contexts.
  • Literature Class Projects (LCPs): Together with Dr Amalia Ortiz de Zárate (Universidad Austral de Chile), we have recently completed a project focused on training Pre-Service Teachers' classroom interactional competence through collaborative peer-teaching simulations using literature as authentic material for English L2 instruction.


Academic Background

I began my academic journey at Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh), where I qualified as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language and Communication and earned a BA in Humanities and Social Sciences in 2009. My undergraduate dissertation focused on enhancing communicative competence in public EFL classrooms in Chile through drama techniques.

I continued at UACh to complete an MA in Communication, where I developed a keen interest in embodied practices and the interplay between language and body in communication. This led me to pursue a PhD in Language and Communication at the University of York, UK, where I studied Chilean public secondary EFL teachers' verbal and embodied practices to mobilise student participation. A portion of this research was published in the Classroom Discourse Journal. During my time at York, I also completed the York Learning and Teaching Award (YLTA) and became an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).


Qualifications

PhD in Language and Communication, University of York, UK (2014–2019)

  • Thesis: Multimodal elicitations in Chilean secondary EFL classrooms
  • Supervisors: Dr Heather Marsden (Linguistics), Dr Darren Reed (Sociology)
  • External Examiner: Dr Spencer Hazel, Newcastle University

Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), University of York (2016–2017)

  • York Learning and Teaching Award (YLTA)

MA in Communication, UACh (2010–2013)

  • Thesis: Exploration of embodied practices in student-actors of the TESOL UGT Programme
  • Awarded with Maximum Distinction

Professional Degree in TESOL and BA in Humanities and Social Sciences, UACh (2005–2009)

  • Awarded with Maximum Distinction


Professional Memberships

  • British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL)
  • UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA)
  • International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)
  • International Society for Conversation Analysis (ISCA), Member and Newsletter Editor
  • Chilean Network of Teacher Trainers (RICELT)



Peer Review Experience

I have served as a peer reviewer for the following journals and academic platforms:

  • Research on Language and Social Interaction (ROLSI) – Taylor & Francis
  • Learning, Culture and Social Interaction – Elsevier
  • Linguistics and Education – Wiley
  • Classroom Discourse Journal – Taylor & Francis
  • Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal – Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas
  • Language Learning – Wiley
  • Grant reviews for FONDECYT: Initiation and Senior Research Grants
  • Encyclopaedia of Applied Linguistics (2nd Edition) – Wiley
  • Conference proposal reviews for events in Latin America and the UK
Research

Areas of Research Interest

  • Classroom interaction
  • Student participation and engagement in the classroom
  • Multimodal practices in the classroom
  • Conversation analysis
  • Teacher training
  • Reflective practices for teacher training 
  • Personal Narratives of Teachers’ Professional/Identity Development
  • Decolonial Education: Ventana, meaning Window in Spanish, is a network I funded while a PhD student at York. Its goal is to connect researchers who are currently exploring decolonial studies in Latin America and Africa. Our current goal is to explore how we can work towards a decolonial education for the future. I am keen to explore this topic further, especially how we can reimagine knowledge production by centring the body as a vital source of learning and resistance to established colonial.


Supervision of Dissertations and Theses

PGT Dissertation Supervision at NCL (2024/25)
  • L2 International students’ repair practices in seminar discussions
  • Teacher Code-Switching Functions and Student Self-Reported Classroom Participation in Chinese EFL Contexts 
  • Challenges and Implementation of TBLT in Peer Teaching: Perspectives of International Student Teachers
  • Novice Teachers’ Perceptions of Enhancing Intercultural Communicative Competence in the ESL Classroom: Strategies and Reflections
  • Investigating TBLT in Teacher Training and Teacher Practices 
  • Language Barriers and Coping Strategies in group work: Experiences of Chinese international students in UK Universities
  • Chinese International Students’ Perceptions of Different English Accents in Various Academic Settings
  • Navigating Cultural Differences in Academic Communication: Experiences of Chinese Postgraduate students in the UK


UG Dissertation supervision: TESOL Programme, Universidad Austral de Chile.
  • (2024). Observational and Reflective Practices as Tools for Pre-service Teachers' Continuous Professional Development: Interactional Awareness in the EFL Classroom
  • (2024). Oral presentation skill: Improving Business Administration in Tourism Students’ awareness of verbal and embodied practices
  • (2024). Exploring students’ Interactional Resources in Chilean EFL Classrooms through Conversation Analysis
  • (2023). Techniques to deal with Panic Attacks inside the classroom
  • (2022). Building Tolerance in the EFL classroom: The use of social media to develop intercultural competence
  • (2022). The Use of Role-Play to Foster 10th-grade Students’ Speaking Skills in the Chilean EFL Classroom
  • (2022). Fully Aware: A Mindfulness Based Booklet for Adolescents Inside the EFL Classroom
  • (2018). Embodied Resources in Oral Presentations: Identifying guidelines for improving EFL learners’ delivery
  • (2016). The role of embodied behaviour and classroom management in instances of Co-Teaching Practice Sessions
  • (2016). Teacher and student-centred education: The cases of Chile and China
  • (2016). Co-teaching practice sessions: EFL trainee teachers' classroom interactional competence and reflective practices through SETT at UACh
  • (2014). Reading comprehension for twelve graders: Using reading comprehension techniques to foster vocabulary acquisition
  • (2013). National teacher evaluation system: A case study on its effects in the well-being of teachers of English from Osorno's PIAP network
  • (2013). Sociocultural approach: The inclusion of alternative oral assessment in second-year language courses of the ELT training program at UACh


PG Thesis supervision and examining:
  • (2025). Teachers' Personal Narratives. MA Education, Unversidad Austral de Chile. (As part of Anid/Fondecyt Project Nr. 11230986L2 International students’ repair practices in seminar discussions)
  • (2024). La Discapacidad intelectual al Des-cubierto: Sentir y sentido de las Madres cuidadoras. MA in Communication. Universidad Austral de Chile. MA Thesis Supervisor
  • (2024). Análisis de la evolución del programa radial Fuego Violeta. Aportes desde la comunicación comunitaria a la Educación Sexual Integral y Educación no Sexista en la región de Los Ríos. MA in Communication. Universidad Austral de Chile. MA Internal Examiner.
  • (2024). Ruidos interculturales: Representación de inmigrantes latinoamericanos y pueblos originarios. Análisis crítico del discurso en noticias de diarios digitales chilenos. MA in Communication. Universidad Austral de Chile. MA Internal Examiner
  • (2023). Representación visual de la mujer en Instagram: Análisis de los estereotipos de género presentes en la publicidad de moda infantil y juvenil. MA in Communication. Universidad Austral de Chile. MA Internal Examiner
  • (2022). Training Non-verbal communication through drama techniques. MA in Communication. Universidad Austral de Chile. MA Internal Examiner
  • (2023). Interactive Listening & Interactional Competence in Oral Exams: A CA Approach. Masterarbeit, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany. MA External Co-Advisor


PhD Thesis examining:
  • 2021, 2022 PhD, University of Newcastle, UK. School of Education, Communication, and Language Sciences. PhD External Examiner
  • 2022 Doutorado no Programa de Pos-Gradua o em Linguistica Aplicada, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil (UNISINOS). PhD Viva External Examiner
  • 2021 Doutorado no Programa de Pos-Gradua o em Linguistica Aplicada, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, Brazil (UNISINOS). PhD Candidacy Exam, External Examiner


Research Projects and Grants

I am currently working on the last stages of an ANID/FONDECYT Chilean Initiation in Research Grant (Nr. 11230986): "A Multimodal Conversation Analytic study of Pre-Service Teachers' Turns to Promote Interaction in Chilean Public and Subsidised EFL classrooms” as Principal Investigator.


Past projects:
  • 2021-2022 Research Project: Pedagogical material for the development of oral communication skills of students in the initial stage of Teacher Training at UACh. National Funding Agent ANID/UACh. Principal Investigator
  • 2020 Collaborative International Learning (COIL) Virtual Exchange (VE) Partnership Project with University of Göttingen and Instituto Ivoti, Brazil. Training by Florida International University & Learn Chile. Lecturer and Transnational Partner
  • 2016 University of York Humanities Research Centre (HRC): Collaborative Project Grant to host the first Ventana Conference: A Window onto Latin America. Lead Applicant and Funder
  • 2014 – 2015 DID-S-2014-22. “Oral Verbal and Nonverbal Communicative Competence of the Students of the English Language Teacher Training Programme at UACh”. Research Development Unit, UACh. Research Assistant
  • 2009 – 2010 DID S-2009-16: “English: Acting Out Language. Methodological Approaches to create a favourable climate in the EFL classroom”. Undergraduate Research Assistant


Esteem Indicators

  • 2025 Invited Lecturer MA Applied Linguistics Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
  • 2025 Invited Speaker at RICELT Chile Red de Investigadores Chilenos en ELT
  • 2025 Guest lecturer at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Workshop for academics and MA and PhD students on the methods to carry out a CA project; lecture on CA for classroom interaction for UG students
  • 2025 Invited speaker at Universidad de Los Lagos and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso to share the findings of my Research Initiation Project
  • 2024 Invited Data Session: “Classroom Interaction: Chilean English Language Pre-Service teachers’ verbal and embodied resources to promote interaction.” Stockholm University Research Forum for Interaction and Learning (ReFIL). Invited by Dr Ali Reza Majlesi
  • 2024 Visiting Lecturer: Universidad de Guadalajara. Jan-Feb 2024. UG module: “Applying Multimodal Conversation Analysis in TESOL: Examples of interactional competences and oral assessment instruments”. PGR module: “Multimodal CA’s methodological approach: how to design, execute and complete a social interaction research project”. Data sessions. Mexico
  • 2023 Invited Plenary speaker. IV Encontro da Análise da Conversa Etnometodológica (EnACe): Multimodalidade na interação humana. CA in the classroom: Interactional Practices in the language teaching-learning process. UNIFESP & Unisinos, 22-24 March 2023. Brazil
  • 2022 Invited speaker. Introduction to Conversation Analysis. PhD in Language Studies and Applied Linguistics. Universidad Veracruzana, México. 27 Oct. 2022. Online
  • 2022 Research visit: Data Collection, project with Dr Chris Leyland. Newcastle, UK
  • 2022 Research visit: Data session with ILLM group. University of York, UK. August 2022
  • 2022 Promoting participation in Chilean secondary EFL classrooms; an insight into teachers’ verbal and embodied practices. Ciclo de charlas online Universidad Central de Santiago
  • 2021 How to Thrive and Survive in your PhD. Research Development, University of York, UK
  • 2021 Conversation Analysis in the exploration of classroom interaction. Seminario Permanente de la Conversación (SPAC). Research group network CA in Latin-America. Online
  • 2021 Applied Linguistics and Communication Seminar Series, Newcastle University. Using Conversation Analysis to explore teachers’ and pre-service teachers’ interactional resources in Chilean classrooms. Invitation by Dr Spencer Hazel. Newcastle, UK
  • 2020 Multimodal resources in mobilising and pursuing responses in Chilean secondary EFL classrooms. Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), São Leopoldo, Brazil. Online


Outreach

  • 2025 Classroom Interaction Practices by TESOL Pre-Service Teachers: Presentation of Findings ANID/Fondecyt Project Nr. 11230986
  • 2023-2024 Classroom interaction workshops for TESOL Pre-Service Teachers in the south and extreme south of Chile: Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Montt, Coyhaique and Punta Arenas
  • 2023 Well-being sessions for students and staff members at UACh Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (mindfulness, reiki, stress management)
  • 2023 Classroom interaction workshops for state-run school teachers
  • 2022 Encounter and collaboration among TESOL trainers in HE. Colloquia organiser
  • 2019 Communicating with Female Scientists: presenter. Outreach Ministry of Education
  • 2019 Project evaluator: School science fair project evaluator: XVI Regional School Congress of Science and Technology. Explora. Ministry of Education regional office
  • 2010-13 Spanglish Theatre en tu Colegio project co-director (2012) and director (2013). Implementing drama techniques at schools in the city


Conference Organisation

  • 2022 and 23 Ventana 4 and 5: A conference on Latin America. Co-organiser. Univ. of York, UK
  • 2021 Encounter and collaboration among TESOL trainers in HE. Co-organiser
  • 2016 A Window on Latin America I: A conference on Latin America at York. Founder, Chair.
  • 2014 PARLAY: Postgraduate Academic Researchers in Linguistics at York. Co-chair
  • 2011, 2013 Regional conference organiser TESOL and IATEFL Chile organisations. Co-chair
Teaching

Current teaching

At Newcastle, I currently teach on the MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL:

  • ALC8024 Language Awareness. Module Leader
  • ALC8029 TESOL for Young Learners. Module Leader
  • ALC8020 Research Methods. Lecturer

In 2025-2026 I will also collaborate in the MA Cross-Cultural Communication + pathways:

  • ALC8033 Research Portfolio. Lecturer


Previous teaching experience

At Universidad Austral, I taught a wide range of courses:


MA in Communication:
  • PGT. MA in Communication, 2nd year: ICOM 398 Research Methods. 2025. Guest Lecturer
  • PGT. MA in Communication, 1st year: ICOM 365 Communication and Culture. 2023, 2024. Collaborator
  • PGT. Faculty MA and PhD programmes: ICOM 311 Análisis de la Conversación. 2016 until 2024. Module Leader


UG Programmes:

Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching courses:

  • 5th year UG TESOL. Understanding Classroom Interaction (ILIN 290): CA elective. Module Leader
  • 4th year UG TESOL. Educational Linguistics (ILIN 173): Teaching Approaches, Classroom Interaction and Language Assessment. Module Leader
  • 2nd year UG TESOL. Language & Education (ILIN 085): Language Teaching Methods and Theories. Module Leader
  • 4th year UG Nursery Teacher Training Programme. TESOL for Young Learners (ILLI 195). Collaborator
  • 4th year UG Spanish Teacher Training Programme. Applied Linguistic Methods. Invited Lecture.


Research Methodology courses:
  • 5th year UG TESOL. Research Project Seminar (ILIN 296): Research methods and projects.
  • 5th year UG TESOL. Research Paper Seminar (ILIN 298): Dissertation project guidance.


Writing courses:
  • 3rd year UG TESOL. Academic Writing I: Texts, Styles and Registers (ILIN 127). Module Leader
  • 4th year UG TESOL. Academic Writing II: Vocabulary, References and Themes (ILIN 165). Module Leader
  • 4th year UG TESOL. Academic Writing III: Research Writing (ILIN 176). Module Leader
  • 1st year UG TESOL, Developing Writing Skills I and II (PLAC 069, PLAC 077). Module Leader


Other Scholarship activities:
  • First year UG Tutor. Pedagogical project Research and Development Unit. Personal tutor.
  • Conversation Analysis and Teacher Training. Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico.
  • Conversation Analysis and Applied Linguistics Methods. Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico.
  • Ministry of Education Teacher Professional Development course for English teachers in public and subsidised schools in Los Rios and Los Lagos regions (Coordinator and Teacher).
Publications