Skip to content

Thao Le

Thao Le

BA, MA, Ph.D (Monash)

Senior Lecturer - Language & Literacy

Once upon a peaceful day in a Vietnamese village, I was born... My mum told me that when I started to go to school at the age of childhood innocence, my beloved country was divided into two nations. Sadly my city was chosen as the demarcation of war and peace where love and hate have emerged to dance in my existence. From then, people in my village were like lost birds without a sense of direction. Like many of them, my family decided to move southwards and this was the start of my life journey.  (Thao Lê)

Career Summary

Thao Lê completed the Bachelors Degree in linguistics at Saigon University in 1969. With a special interest in ethnography and an enthusiasm of a young graduate, he moved on to undertake a research Masters in Jarai, a highland minority language in Central Highlands of Vietnam. However his dream of living with culturally isolated mountain people as a part of his research fieldwork was dashed due to the fierce war taking place throughout Vietnam at that time. In 1971 Thao Lê was awarded a research scholarship by Monash University, Australia, to undertake PhD in linguistics. His PhD thesis was on semantically based theory of grammar .

Thao Lê was offered a lectureship at the University of Tasmania in 1974 and has been teaching in the Faculty of Education till now. He has held various positions and played important roles in the development of the Faculty such as: Senior Lecturer, Assistant Dean, Director of the Masters Program, Graduate Research Coordinator and Associate Dean (Research). Currently he is lecturing in postgraduate courses and supervising eighteen research students. He was awarded:

  • Faculty of Education Mentor Award
  • University of Tasmania's Teaching Excellence Award
  • Vice-Chancellor's  Award for Excellent Contribution to Graduate Supervision and Research

His research interests cover a wide range of academic areas:  linguistics, educational multimedia, intercultural studies, and research methodology. His recent publications include:

Thao Lê was the founding editor of the journal Working Papers in Language and Linguistics (1975 to 1987) and currently is the chief editor of the International Research Internet Journal Language, Society and Culture. He has approximately 200 papers in education, linguistics and communication, published in books, journals and conference proceedings. Thao Lê  has been visiting and presented lectures at different  universities such as University of Vienna, University of Western England, University of Stuttgart , University of Western Sydney, RLC in Singapore, Taiyuan Normal University, Vietnam National University, University of New South Wales etc. Thao Lê has organized major conferences to promote empowerment, resource sharing and a paradigm shift in the educational discourse of globalization. They include:

  • International Conference on Language & Learning: Theory into Practice. Kula Lumpur. Malaysia.
  • International Conference on Language Education. Vietnam.
  • International Conference on Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. Vietnam.
  • International Conference on Critical Discourse Analysis: Theory into Research. Tasmania, Australia.

Thao Lê has been invited to be a keynote speaker at major conferences on educational research, globalization, applied linguistics and e-learning. His recent participation as a keynote speaker at major conferences includes:

  • The International Conference Research: Response to the Challenges of Globalisation; Iloilo, Philippines 2008.
  • The International Conference: Educational Leadership in Cultural Diversity and Globalization; Phuket, Thailand 2008
  • The International Conference on Computer Supported Education, Lisbon, Portugal , 2009.
  • International conference on Languages, Penang, Malaysia 2009.
  • International conference on Future Learning: E-learning, Istanbul, Turkey 2010.

Publications & forthcoming books

  • Language and literacy education in a challenging world. Edited by Thao Lê, Quynh Lê, and Megan Short. New York: Nova Science Publishers (forthcoming) [Research Book]
  • Linguistic diversity and cultural identity: a global perspective. Edited by Thao Lê and Quynh Lê. New York : Nova Science Publishers (forthcoming) [Research Book]
  • Technologies for Enhancing Pedagogy, Engagement and Empowerment in Education: Creating Learning-Friendly Environments. Pennsylvania: IGI Global (forthcoming) [Research Book]
  • Lê, T, Lê, Q. & Short, M. (2009) (Eds):. Critical Discourse Analysis: an interdisciplinary perspective. New York: Nova Science Publishers. [Research Book]
  • Lê, T & Lê, Q (2009) "Information technology: A Critical Discourse Analysis perspective". In  D.L. Pullen, C. Gitsaki, M. Baguley (eds)Technoliteracy, Discourse and Social Practice: Frameworks and Applications in the Digital Age, IGI Global, Hershey, PA, USA, [Research Book Chapter]
  • Lê, T. &  Lê, Q. (2009).  Critical Discourse Analysis: An Overview. In  T.Lê and Q. Lê (Eds): Critical Discourse Analysis: an interdisciplinary perspective. New York: Nova Science Publishers. [Research Book Chapter]
  • Lê , T., Lê, Q., & Short, M.  (2009.)  Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis . In  T.Lê, Q. Lê & M. Short (Eds): Critical Discourse Analysis: an interdisciplinary perspective. New York: Nova Science Publishers. [Research Book Chapter]
  • Lê, T. and Wang, X. (2009).  Systematic Functional Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis. In  T.Lê , Q. Le & M. Short (Eds): Critical Discourse Analysis: an interdisciplinary perspective. New York: Nova Science Publishers. [Research Book Chapter]
  • Lê, T. & Lê, Q. (2009). Being Self-critical in Research as a Meaning Making Process. In  T.Lê , Q. Le & M. Short (Eds): Critical Discourse Analysis: an interdisciplinary perspective. New York: Nova Science Publishers. [Research Book Chapter]
  • Lê, T. (2009). Keynote address : Information Technologies and Educational Empowerment: A Humanistic Perspective, Proceedings of the First International Conference on Computer Supported Education, 23-26 March 2009, Portugal.
  • Lê, T (2009).Keynote address: What is a good TESOL teacher? An intercultural perspective. Penang, Malaysia.
  • Fan, Si & Lê, Thao (2009) Reframing teacher identities: ESL pre-service teachers' perspectives of teaching and learning in Australian. Presented at the AARE conference in Canberra 2009 and to be published as a refereed paper in its proceedings.
  • Stalker, Martin & Lê, Thao (2009). Pathway planning: Examining the benefits and outcomes of a Traineeship and Apprenticeship Pathway Program. Presented at the AARE conference in Canberra 2009 and to be published as a refereed paper in its proceedings.
  • Fan, Si & Lê, Thao (2009).ESL pre-service teachers: What do they need? . Presented at the AARE conference in Canberra 2009 and to be published as a refereed paper in its proceedings.
  • Thijittang Siriruck & Lê, Thao (2009) Interlanguage pragmatics: Speech act of apology in English of Thai learners. Paper presented at the International Pragmatics Conference in Melbourne, July 2009.
  • Thijittang Siriruck & Lê, Thao (2009). Gender Differences and Apologies in English of Thai Learners: Pragmatic and Sociolinguistic Perspective. Paper presented at the International Gender and Language Conference, Wellington, NZ, 3-5 July 2008.  Published in its proceedings CD 2009.

Research Interests

  • Second language learning and teaching
  • Theoretical linguistics
  • Grammar theories, Systemic Functional Linguistics
  • Communication and learning strategies
  • Pragmatics
  • Educational technologies , E-learning
  • Communication disorders

Awards

  • 1991 Awarded the Outstanding Contribution Certificate by the Vietnam National University - Hanoi Pedagogy College;
  • 2001 University Teaching Excellence Award 2001 of the University of Tasmania;
  • 2004 Mentoring Award, Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania


Journal Editor

  • Editor of the journal Working Papers in Language and Linguistics (1975 - 1985)
  • Editor of the International Journal Language, Society and Culture  - ISSN 1327-774X (1997 till now, 27 issues).
  • Guest editor: Journal of the Australian Applied Linguistics Association of Australia.

Keynote speaker

  • Keynote speaker at the 1986 Congress of the Australian Applied Linguistics Association of Australia. 1986
  • Keynote speaker at The International Conference  on Research: Response to the Challenges of Globalisation: jointly organized by West Visayas State University and The Research Council of the Philippine, 2008.
  • Keynote speaker at The International Conference on Educational Leadership in Cultural Diversity and Globalization . Jointly organised by Prince of Songkla University, University of Missouri- Columbia, UNESCO, Thai Council of Deans of Education, Fulbright Program, South East Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), 2008
  • Keynote speaker at The International Conference on Computer Supported Education, Lisbon, Portugal (2009).
  • Keynote speaker at The International conference on Languages, Penang, Malaysia, 2009.

Guest lectures and visiting scholar

  • Guest lectures given at University of Vienna, Stuttgart University, University of New South Wales, Taiyuan Normal University, Hanoi Pedagogy University, Regional English Language Centre, Singapore.
  • Visiting scholar at London Institute of Education, Oxford University, University of Bristol, Macquarie University, Monash University

Units

  • ESG715 - Aspects of Linguistics
  • ESG717 - Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language
  • ESG718 - Curriculum and syllabus in TESOL
  • ESG719 - Curriculum issues in TESOL

Current and Supervised Project/s

  • Euphemism in English and Japanese: A pragmatic contrastive study
  • Secondary school English language teachers in mainland China: A study of their classroom practices and their attitudes towards methodological and materials innovation