My research interests focus on the impact of large-scale language testing on instruction, the relationship between classroom assessment and instruction, and the academic and professional acculturation of international and new immigrant students, workers, and professionals to Canada. I received the TOEFL award for outstanding dissertation in second/foreign language testing from Educational Testing Services in 1998, and TESOL Leadership Mentoring Award from TESOL in 2002.

My recent funded research projects include the following:

• Test Preparation: Does It Enhance Test Performance And English Language Proficiency? (PDF Dowload)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator); Hong Wang (Co-Investigator), Mount Saint Vincent University; Lynette May (Co-Investigator), Queensland Universityof Technology; Shahrzad Saif (Co-Investigator), Université Laval. Research News.
  Funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) ($200,005)

• The Role of Testing in Professional Certification for Newly Arrived Foreign-Trained Professionals to Canada (PDF Download)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator). Research Summary. Research News 1 and 2.
  Funded by CERIS The Ontario Metropolis Centre ($10,845)
  
  
• Motivation, Test Anxiety and Language Test Performance: An International Investigation (PDF Download)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator); Don Klinger (Co-Investigator), Queen’s University; Janna Fox (Co-Investigator), Carleton University; Yan Jin (Co-Investigator), Shanghai Jiaotong University; Jessica Wu (Co-Investigator), The Language Training and Testing Center.
  Funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) ($75,000)
  
  
• Second Language Immersion and Students’ Academic Success (PDF Download)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator); John Kirby and Lesly Wade-Woolley (Co-Investigators), Queen’s University; Haiyan Qiang (Co-Investigators), South China Normal University.
  Funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) ($75,000)
  

• An impact study of a high-stakes ESL assessment innovation in Hong Kong secondary schools
  Steve Andrews (Principal Investigator), University of Hong Kong, and Liz Hamp-Lyons, Christine Davison, University of Hong Kong, Liying Chegn (Co-Investigators), Queen’s University
  Funded by UGC (University Grants Committee) ($176,883 equivalent)
  
  
• Impact of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test on Second Language Students (PDF download)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator); Janna Fox (Co-investigator), Carleton University, and Don Klinger (Collaborator), Queen’s University. See Research Spotlights.
  Funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) ($130,627).
  

• Costs and Benefits: English for Academic Purposes Instruction in Canadian Universities (PDF download)
  Janna Fox (Principal Investigator), Carleton University; Liying Cheng (Co-investigator), Queen’s University; and Robert Berman (Co-investigator), University of Alberta.
  Funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) ($125,023).

• Developmental Evaluation for Alternative Teacher Accreditation Program for Teachers with International Experience (PDF download)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator) with Lyn Shulha, Don Klinger and Bob Wilson (Co-investigators), Assessment and Evaluation Group, Queen’s University.
  Funded by The MTCU (Ministry of Training, College and Universities) ($54,000).

• An Investigation of ESL/EFL Teachers’ Classroom Assessment Practices (PDF download)
  Liying Cheng (Principal Investigator); Todd Rogers (Co-investigator), University of Alberta.
  Funded by SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) ($120,000).