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 |
EDUC 9987 | Teaching Practicum | Graduate |
MGSE 5427 | Curriculum and Methods of Foreign Language Education | Graduate |
MGSE 5428 | Innovations in Foreign Language Education | Graduate |
TESL 8636 | Assessment of English Language Learners | Graduate |
Selected Publications
Recent
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. (2022). L2 listening comprehension. In John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/bpa.13.07wag