Biography
Dr. Elvis Wagner explores the teaching and testing of second language oral communicative competence. Currently, his primary research focus is an examination of how second language (L2) listeners process and comprehend unscripted, spontaneous spoken language, and how this type of language differs from the scripted spoken texts learners often encounter in the L2 classroom. He has written and published widely on these issues, including his article “Video Listening Tests: What are They Measuring?”, which won the International Language Testing Association’s “Best Article in Language Testing” award in 2008. Dr. Wagner’s research informs his teaching, both in the TESOL program and in the secondary education world languages program.
Research Interests
- Assessment
- Bilingual/Bicultural
- Language Comprehension/Development
Courses Taught
Number | Name | Level |
|---|---|---|
EDUC 0815 | Language in Society | Undergraduate |
MGSE 4427 | Curriculum and Methods of Foreign Language Education | Undergraduate |
MGSE 4428 | Innovations in Foreign Language Education | Undergraduate |
TESL 4442 | Strategies for Teaching English as an Additional Language | Undergraduate |
EDUC 9987 | Teaching Practicum | Graduate |
MGSE 5427 | Curriculum and Methods of Foreign Language Education | Graduate |
MGSE 5428 | Innovations in Foreign Language Education | Graduate |
TESL 5614 | Current Approaches to Teaching English Language Learners | Graduate |
TESL 8636 | Assessment of English Language Learners | Graduate |
Selected Publications
Recent
Wagner, E. (2025). Commentary: The Need for Multimodal Integrated Language Assessment. Language Assessment Quarterly, 22(4-5), 623-627. Informa UK Limited. 10.1080/15434303.2025.2610812
Walls, M.A., Burke, K.J., Wagner, E., Smith, M., Fukawa-Connelly, T., Crass, C., & Kelley, S. (2025). Devotion to Duty: The Preservice Teaching Experiences of a Former Coast Guardsman. Journal of Veterans Studies, 11(1), 226-239. Virginia Tech Libraries. 10.21061/jvs.v11i1.698
Wagner, E. (2025). Bring it Back to the Teachers: An Interview with Gary Ockey. Language Assessment Quarterly, 22(3), 362-372. Informa UK Limited. 10.1080/15434303.2025.2536836
Wagner, E. (2024). Twenty Years of Language Assessment Quarterly : An Interview with LAQ Founder Antony Kunnan. Language Assessment Quarterly, 21(3), 215-223. Informa UK Limited. 10.1080/15434303.2024.2386357
Wagner, E. (2022). L2 listening comprehension. In John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/bpa.13.07wag
Wagner, E., Liao, Y., & Wagner, S. (2021). Authenticated Spoken Texts for L2 Listening Tests. Language Assessment Quarterly, 18(3), 205-227. 10.1080/15434303.2020.1860057
Wagner, E. & Krylova, A. (2021). Temple University’s ITA Placement Test in Times of COVID-19. Language Assessment Quarterly, 18(1), 12-16. 10.1080/15434303.2020.1862849