Sovicheth Boun

A native of Cambodia, I am an Assistant Professor of ESL & Literacy and a Coordinator of the TESOL Graduate Programs in the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, McKeown School of Education, Salem State University. I teach a variety of language-related courses such as the Foundations for Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), Sheltering Content for English Language Learners, Linguistics for ESL Educators, Context and Culture in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Seminar in TESOL, and Culturally Responsive Teaching. I also supervise teacher candidates during the teaching practicum (Graduate Practicum in TESOL). I earned a Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language from the University of Texas at San Antonio. I have been involved in EFL/ESL teaching and training for over 10 years both in Cambodia and the U.S. I was a Lecturer of English at the Institute of Foreign Languages of the Royal University of Phnom Penh in Cambodia from 2005-2010. Prior to coming to Salem, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor of TESOL in the Department of Language, Learning, and Leadership, the State University of New York at Fredonia, and a Lecturer of Applied Linguistics in the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies, the University of Texas at San Antonio. I serve on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Language, Identity and Education (JLIE) and the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement (JSAAEA) and the International Journal of TESOL Studies. I am also a Guest Reviewer for the Language Policy journal and a Proposal Reviewer for the TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo, the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, the American Educational Research Association Conference, the International Society for Language Studies Conference, the MATSOL Conference, and the Cambodian TESOL Conference. I have also served as a Review Editor for the Language Education in Asia (LEiA). My most recent book is the Handbook of Bilingual and Multilingual Education, co-edited with Wayne E. Wright and Ofelia Garcia and published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2015 (with the paperback edition published in 2017).

My research interests include second/foreign language education, bi-/multilingual education, the global spread of English, language ideologies, language teacher identities, language/educational experiences of Southeast Asian American students, and critical discourse analysis.

Wright, W. E., Boun, S., & Chan, V. (2022). Implementation of multilingual mother tongue education in Cambodian public schools for indigenous ethnic minority students. Educational Linguistics, 1(1), 196-217. (Recipient of the 2023 TIRF TIRF 2023 James E. Alatis Prize for Research on Language Planning and Policy in Educational Contexts)

Boun, S. & Wright, W. E. (2022). K-12 schooling experiences of Southeast Asian American students. In H. L. Smith & K. M. Iyengar (Eds.), Diversity in society and schools (pp. 101-120). Cognella. [Reprint of Boun & Wright (2013)].

Boun, S., & Wright, W. E. (2021) Translanguaging in a graduate education program at a Cambodian university. In B. Paulsrud, Z, Tian, & J. Toth (Eds.) At the crossroads of English-medium instruction and translanguaging: Global perspectives (pp. 108-123). Blue Ridge Summer, PA: Multilingual Matters.

Boun, S. (2018). Review of the book Unsettled: Cambodian refugees in the NYC hyperghetto, by E. Tang. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement.

Boun, S. (2017). Social psychological impacts on language use: Anxiety among Cambodian university students. TESOL International Journal, 12(2), 16-31.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S. (2016). The development and expansion of multilingual education in Cambodia: An application of Ruiz’s orientations in language planning. Bilingual Review/Revista Bilingüe, 33(3), 1-17.

Wright, W. E., Boun, S., & Garcia, O. (Eds.). (2015). Handbook of bilingual and multilingual education. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.

Wright, W. E., Boun, S., & Garcia, O. (2015). Introduction: Key concepts and issues in bilingual and multilingual education. In W. E. Wright, S. Boun & O. Garcia (Eds.), Handbook of bilingual and multilingual education (pp. 1-16). Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S. (2015). Striving for education for all through bilingual education in Cambodia. In W. E. Wright, S. Boun & O. Garcia (Eds.), Handbook of bilingual and multilingual education (pp. 515-528). Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.

Boun, S. (2014). Review of the book Introduction to Critical Discourse Analysis in Education, by R. Rogers (2nd Ed.). Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 1-5.

Boun, S. & Wright, W. E. (2013). K-12 schooling experiences of Southeast Asian American students. In R. Endo & X. L. Rong (Eds.), Educating Asian Americans: Achievement, schooling and identities (pp. 75-101). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Hoffman, J. V., Sailors, M., Wright, W. E., Davis, D., Boun, S., & Wiebe, M. (2012). Reading interest of elementary-aged students in Cambodia (Research Report). San Francisco, CA: Room to Read.

Wright, W. E. & Boun, S. (2011). Southeast Asian American education 35 years after initial resettlement: Research report and policy recommendations. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, 6, 1-120.

Boun, S. (Moderator). (2023, February 19). Reflective teaching practices and inquiry [Closing Plenary Panel Discussion]. CamTESOL Conference, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Boun, S. (2023, February 17). ELT in the U.S. and online delivery of English language teaching. In V. Sou (Moderator), Online and transnational delivery of English language teaching – global views and perspectives for being future ready [Opening Plenary Panel Discussion]. CamTESOL Conference, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S., & Chan, V. (2022, August). Implementation of Multilingual Mother Tongue Education in Cambodian Public Schools for Indigenous Ethnic Minority Students. Virtual Webinar presented in Recognition of the World Indigenous Languages Month at the TESOL International Association.

Boun, S., & Wright, W. E. (2021, April) Translanguaging in a graduate education program at a Cambodian university. Paper presented at the virtual Plurilingual Lab Speaker Series: English-Medium Instruction and Translanguaging Book Launch, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Boun, S. (2020, September). Language and identity. Guest lecture presented at Purdue University, Purdue, IN. (Course: Seminar in Bilingualism and Multilingualism)

Wright, W.E., & Boun, S. (2019, March). The expansion of multilingual mother tongue education in Cambodia. Paper presented at the TESOL International Convention, Atlanta, Georgia. (Invited Panel)

Boun, S. (2017, March). You’re not part of the society if you don’t know English: A hegemonic discourse about English in Cambodia. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Boun, S. (2016, October). Early development of bilingualism. Guest lecture presented at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, NY.

Boun, S. (2015, April). Bilingual and multilingual education: Current practices and future prospects for promoting justice, culture, language, and heritage in education. Penal discussant at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Boun, S. (2014, November). Language ideologies and teacher identities: A case of Cambodian foreign-trained university lecturers of English. Paper presented at the BELA Workshop Series, State University of New York at Fredonia, New York. (Invited Presentation)

Boun, S. (2014, March). A critical examination of language ideologies and identities of Cambodian foreign-trained university lecturers of English. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Romero, L., & Boun, S. (2013, June). Classroom language policies and practices: Social justice for ELLs through the co-construction of knowledge. Paper presented at the International Society for Language Studies Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Boun, S., Idris, S., Langman, J., & Romero, L. (2012, October). Teachers’ discourse practices and ELL student learning: Lessons from Biology classrooms in South Texas. Paper presented at the Texas Association for Bilingual Education Conference, San Antonio, Texas.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S. (2012, September). Bilingual education policy and practice for indigenous ethnic minority students in Cambodia. Paper presented at the Multidisciplinary Approaches in Language Policy and Planning Conference, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S. (2012, March). Striving for education for all through bilingual education: A case of Cambodia. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Boston, Massachusetts.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S. (2011, October). Southeast Asian American education 35 years after initial resettlement: Research report and policy recommendations. Paper presented at the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans Conference, Long Beach, California.

Boun, S. (2011, June). Avoiding plagiarism. Paper presented at the Workshop for M.A. TESOL Students, Institute of Foreign Languages, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Wright, W. E., & Boun, S. (2011, March). Translanguaging as a medium of instruction in a Master’s of Education program in Cambodia. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, Chicago, Illinois.

Meeting new people, playing soccer and racquetball, hiking and rock climbing.