Tao-chung Ted Yao Memorial Award
CLTA: 2024-2025 TAO-CHUNG TED YAO Memorial Award
(Deadline: November 30th, 2025)
The Chinese Language Teachers Association invites applications to the 2025-2026 Tao-Chung Ted Yao Memorial Award (hereafter “Yao Award”). The Yao Award is sponsored by the Tao-chung Ted Yao Memorial Fund established by the CLTA-USA in 2015, with support from Professor Yao’s wife, Mrs. Kuang-tien Chang Yao, and assistance from Professor Yao’s friends and students. Following Professor Yao’s wish, the Yao Award supports graduate students in the U.S. to present papers independently at national or international conferences sponsored or organized by the CLTA. Each recipient receives a certificate and an award up to $850 to defray conference expenses.
Eligibility:
(a) The applicant must be a graduate student (either a doctoral or a master’s student);
(b) The paper must be single-authored, and be individually presented by the applicant;
(c) The proposal must have been accepted for presentation at the conference;
(d) Only students who have not previously received the Yao Award can apply. Also, as a general principle for CLTA awards, an applicant should only apply to one award each year, and a project that has been previously awarded/funded by the CLTA for any other award categories would not be considered for Yao Award again.
Application and Deadline:
Applicants should send the following materials to the CLTA Award Committee at cltaaward@gmail.com, with the subject line of “2025 Yao Award Application” by November 30th, 2025. Identifying information will be removed prior to anonymous review.
- A copy of the regular conference proposal abstract, and a more detailed written proposal (about 400 words), with no identifying information;
- A brief CV (two pages maximum);
- The completed award application form.
Only proposals that are accepted for presentation will be considered for the award. Identifying information will be removed prior to anonymous review. A shortlist of finalists may be contacted by the CLTA Award Committee and asked to submit additional materials. The recipients of the Yao Award will be grouped into a special panel session to make presentations during the 2026 CLTA Annual Conference. Recipients will also be announced at the 2026 CLTA Conference Awards Ceremony. The name(s) of awardee(s) will be reported in the CLTA Newsletter and on the CLTA web page.
Award Recipients
2016
Eric Pelzl，University of Maryland, College Park: What Makes Hearing Mandarin Tones Difficult for Second Language Learners? Evidence from Psycholinguistic Research
2017
Li Xiang. Portland State University: Survive or thrive: A mixed method study of visiting Chinese language teachers’ identity formation in the U.S. classrooms
Yi Wang. University of Arizona: Navigating the path: Language ideologies among long-term study abroad students in China
2018
He, Xuehong, Michigan State University: An Eye-tracking Study on Learning L2 Chinese Vocabulary: Exploring Presentation Formats and Learner Attention
Zhai, Mengying, from University of Hawaii: Patterns of Peer Interaction in Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) Settings
2020-21
Tzu-I Chiang, Indiana University Bloomington: The effect of instructional sequence on the acquisition of Mandarin verbal complements
Liying Feng, Florida State University: Motivation for learning Chinese as a foreign language: a revised model of future self-guides
Yali Feng, Georgia State University: Chinese language teacher ‘ perceptions of the professional training program: Exploring the effectiveness of the core practices of the STARTALK program on their future teaching
Yawei Li, The Ohio State University: From memorizing a story to creating a story: Exploration on video incorporation in movie narration class
Huan Liu, Washington University in St. Louis: Assessing College-Level L2 Chinese Reading Comprehension of Informational Texts: The Effect of Comprehension Tasks and Heritage Status
Runqing Qi, The University of Iowa: An instructional model for using authentic texts in Chinese L2 reading classrooms
Jun Wang, University of Wisconsin-Madison: L1 Transfer at the Lexicon-Syntax Interface: L1 English L2 Chinese Learners’ Acquisition of Chinese Locational PPs
2021-22
Nini li (University of Hawaii at Mānoa)
“The Construction of Chinese Pedagogical Grammar System”
Wen Guo (University at Buffalo)
“Transformative Learning Experiences in a Study Abroad Mandarin Program”
Xinye Zhang (University of California, Davis)
“Language variation in teacher speech in a dual immersion preschool”
2022-23
Yingyu Chen (University of Hawaii at Mānoa)
“Processibility Theory Hierarchy Applied to Mandarin”
Bo Liu (University of Oklahoma)
“What Sustains Chinese Learning Motivation: A Case Study of Midwestern American High School Students”
Jiaxin Tian (University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa)
“Xiexie ‘Thanks’ and Its Responders in Mandarin Chinese”
2023-24
Yilei Li, University of Arizona
Qingyu Yang, University of Rhode Island
Jia Liu, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
2024-25
Yi Ren (University of California, Los Angeles): “Creating Learning Opportunities through Student-Initiated Departures from IRF Sequences in CSL Classroom Interaction”
Hsin-Tzu Jen (University of Hawaii at Manoa): “Situating CA in CFL classroom research: A case of intersubjectivity management in online 1-1 tutoring”
Charlize Hsiang-Ling Wang (Ohio State University): “Translanguaging in Practice: Fostering Engagement, Language Learning, and Inclusivity in Chinese Language Classrooms in the U.S.”
2025-26
Dayoung Jeong (University of California, Los Angeles): “Complement of Manner/State: A Comparison of Natural Conversation and CSL Textbooks”
Qianqian Maggie Ma (University at Buffalo-SUNY): “Exploring Meaning-making in Digital Video Composing through a Trans-semiotizing Lens: A Case Study in a U.S. Middle School Chinese Classroom”
Yi Dai (University of Maryland, College Park): “What is the Visual-Orthographic Unit in Chinese L2 Character Writing?”