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Staff Profile

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Dr Melinda Kong

Senior Lecturer
PhD (Uni Melbourne), MA (IOE, UC London), BEd (1st class Honours) (Uni Southampton)

Faculty of Business, Design and Arts

Office No:+60 82 260 673
Fax No:+60 82 260 815
Room No: B308
Email: mkong@swinburne.edu.my
Google Scholar     ORCID Scopus

Biography

Dr Melinda obtained her Bachelor of Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages/TESOL (1st Class Hons) from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom/UK) under full scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, before getting a Master of Arts in TESOL from the Institute of Education, University College London (UK). She also pursued a PhD in Education at the University of Melbourne (Australia) under full scholarships from the university.

Dr Melinda is currently a senior lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak, Malaysia. She teaches a range of subjects for MA TESOL, and for degree and foundation programmes. Besides teaching, she has served in various leadership positions, for example, as the Course Director of MA (TESOL), Associate Dean (Academic Practice) of the Faculty of Language and Communication. She had also been the Associate Head of the School of Language and Foundation, the Programme Coordinator for Foundation Language, the Programme Coordinator for Foundation in Information Technology and Language, a member of the Academic Board and a convener of diverse subjects. She is also a co-researcher for large projects with external grants from the Sarawak Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research, the Sarawak State Library and Sarawak Information System Sdn. Bhd.

Research Interests

Education, teacher education, internationalisation of higher education, identity, agency, international students and language learning strategies.

Professional Memberships

  • American Educational Research Association
  • British Educational Research Association
  • Australian Association for Research in Education
  • Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia

Honours and Awards

  • Melbourne International Research Scholarship
  • Melbourne International Fee Remission
  • Melbourne Graduate School of Education – studentship
  • Melbourne Graduate School of Education – publication grant
  • Award for excellent service from the Ministry of Education, Malaysia
  • Full scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Malaysia

Publications

  • Refereed Journal Publication: Kong, M., Yong, F. L., & Lee, M. H. (2022). The Investments and Identities of In-Service Non-native English Teachers That Relate to Their Teaching Careers. Malaysian Journal of ELT Research, 19(2), pp. 67-78.
  • Refereed Book Chapter: Kong, M. (2021). “I really enjoyed the … lesson”: Teaching and learning practices that engage students. Teacher Voices: Stories from the Classroom, 1, MELTA.
  • Refereed Journal Publication: Widyastuti, D., Aye, K. K., Kong, M., Beasley, C., & Dewi, N. (2021). Identities in EFL Creative Writing in Indonesia. International Journal of Humanity Studies, 1(1), 56-62.
  • Refereed Journal Publication: Kong, M. & Kang, H.Y. (2020). Identity and accents: do students really want to speak like native speakers of English?  RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research. (Publisher: Sage, UK; Indexed in Scopus and ERA)
  • Refereed book chapter Kong, M. (2019). “I cannot imagine going to pub”: The expectations, lived experiences and identity construction of Asian international students in Australia”. In R. Chowdhury & L. Yazdanpanah (Eds.), Asia Pacific education: Equity, identity and social justice. Melbourne: Monash University Press.
  • Book Kong, M. L. F. (2019). The hopes and experiences of bilingual teachers of English: investments, expectations and identity. Oxfordshire, Routledge.
  • Refereed journal publication Kong, M. (2016). On teaching methods: The personal experiences of teachers of English. RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research. (Publisher: Sage, UK; Indexed in Scopus and ERA)
  • Refereed journal publication Kong, M. (2015). ‘You speak English, no?’: The expectations and experiences of Asian in-service teachers of English in Australia. The English Teacher: A Journal of the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association, XLIV(1): 33–42. (ISSN 0128-7729)
  • Refereed journal publication Kong, M. (2014). Shifting sands: A resilient Asian teacher’s identity work in Australia. Asia Pacific Journal of Education 34 (1), 80–92. (Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group; Indexed in Scopus and ERA)
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2014). ‘You speak English, no?’: The expectations and experiences of Asian in-service teachers of English in Australia. Full paper presented at the 12th Asia Teaching English as a Foreign Language/Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Asia TEFL/MELTA) International Conference, Kuching, Malaysia.
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2015, November). “I can tell the students what people say in everyday conversations”: The experiences of Australian-trained Asian teachers. Presentation at the 13th Asia Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) International Conference, Nanjing, China (Refereed abstract).
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2015, June). In search of “modern methods”: The views and experiences of Asian in-service teachers. Presentation at the 24th Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA) International Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Refereed abstract).
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2014, November). Challenges and change: The perceptions and experiences of Asian ELT professionals in Australia.  Presentation at the Asia Pacific Educational Research Association – Hong Kong Educational Research Association (APERA-HKERA) International Conference, Hong Kong, Hong Kong (Refereed abstract).
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2014, October). The language learning challenges and strategies of Asian foundation students in an Australian University. Presentation at the International Conference on Language Studies (ICLS), Kuching, Malaysia (Refereed abstract).
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2012, December). Hopes and frustrations: The perceptions of Asian teachers regarding their experiences in Australia and in their home countries. Presentation at the Joint Australian Association for Research in Education and Asia-Pacific Education Research Association Conference (AARE-APERA Conference), University of Sydney, Australia (Refereed abstract).
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2009). The Challenges Faced by Asian Postgraduate Students and their Learning Strategies. Presentation at the Eighteenth International Conference organized by the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA), Johor (Refereed abstract).
  • Refereed International Conference Presentation Kong, M. (2008). Does Silence Indicate Passivity? Presentation at the Seventeenth International Conference organized by the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA), Kuala Lumpur (Refereed abstract).
  • Research Presentation Kong, M. (2013, November). The expectations and adaptation of international students in pursuing further studies in Australia. Presentation at the 20th Annual Graduate Research Conference, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia.
  • Research Presentation Kong, M. (2012, September). Study abroad: The expectations, experiences and identity of bilingual teachers of English in pursuing professional development in Australia.  Presentation at the Language and Literacy Education Research Roundtable, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia.
  • Research Presentation Kong, M. (2011, December). Hopes and realities: The expectations, experiences and identity of bilingual teachers of English in pursuing further education in Australia. Presentation at the 17th Annual Graduate Research Conference, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia.
  • 3-Minute-Thesis Competition – Finalist, University of Melbourne, Australia Kong, M. (2012, August). Study abroad: Bilingual teachers’ expectations, experiences and identities. 3MT competition – Finals. University of Melbourne, Australia.
  • Other Publication Yong, F. L. & Kong, M. (February 2021). What it takes to be effective English lecturers. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Yong, F. L. & Kong, M. (March 2021). Teaching with empathy amid Covid_19. Daily Express.
  • Other Publication Yong, F. L. & Kong, M. (March 2021). Critical thinking during times of uncertainty. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Yong, F. L. & Kong, M. (March 2021). Internal locus of control to boost online learning. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Kong, M. (September 2016). Investment in language learning. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Kong, M. (August 2016). Must good teachers of English be native speakers? The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Kong, M. (October 2014). Context and complexity: Cultures of teaching and learning. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Kong, M. (October 2008). Identity and language learning. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Yong, F. L. & Kong, M. (August 2008). Academic writing for foundation students. The Borneo Post.
  • Other Publication Kong, M. (October 2007). Understanding Silence. The Borneo Post.