Alister Cumming

Alister Henry Cumming (born 1953) is a Canadian linguist. He is currently a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.[1] He is most noted for early studies of composing processes in a second language in the 1980s, establishing that writing skills transfer from first to second languages, adopting Goal Theory from educational psychology to the study of second language writing research, and for his contributions to language testing. Along with Ken Hyland, Judit Kormos, Rosa Manchón, Paul Kei Matsuda, Lourdes Ortega, Charlene Polio, Neomy Storch, and Marjolijn Verspoor, Cumming is considered to be one of the most prominent researchers on second language writing.

Alister Henry Cumming
Born (1953-02-14) 14 February 1953
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Known for
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
WebsiteCumming on the website of the University of Toronto

Career

Cumming obtained his Bachelor of Arts at the University of British Columbia in 1975, and a Master of Arts in 1979. He received his PhD at the University of Toronto in 1988.

He has been a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Second Language Writing and a dozen other scholarly and professional journals,[2] including Language Learning, which he edited in the 1990s and for which he was its Executive Director until 2015.

He was also a member of the project, Encouraging The Culture Of Evaluation Among Professionals (ECEP).[3]

Research

Cumming's research is primarily on language writing research. He adopted Goal Theory from educational psychology to study second language writing development. His main claim was that goals can emerge in three different ways: dilemma, intention, or outcome. He also claimed that goals play an important role in the development of second language writing.[4]

In his paper entitled "Learning to write in a second language: Two decades of research," he identified three main areas of research on second language writing: 1. Textual features, 2. Composing processes 3. Sociocultural context.

Awards

Bibliography

Books
  • Goals for Academic Writing. (2006)[5]
  • Adolescent Literacies in a Multicultural Context. (2012)[6]

Articles

As of 11 September 2018.[7]

  • "Learning to write in a second language: Two decades of research." (2001)
  • "The contribution of studies of foreign language writing to research, theories and policies." (2009)
  • "What needs to be developed to facilitate classroom-based assessment?" (2009)
  • "Assessing academic writing in foreign and second languages." (2009)
  • "Language assessment in education: Tests, curricula, and teaching." (2009)
  • "Comparative research, research syntheses, and adopting instruments in second language writing." (2012)
  • "Multiple Dimensions of Academic Language and Literacy Development." (2013)
  • "Assessing integrated writing tasks for academic purposes: Promises and perils." (2013)
  • "Design in four diagnostic language assessments." (2015)
  • "Research for and Within Literacy Instruction in Secondary Schools." (2015)

References
  1. "Cumming - University of Toronto". Oise.utoronto.ca. 11 September 2018.
  2. "Journal of Second Language Writing - Editorial Board". Elsevier. 11 September 2006.
  3. "Alister Cumming". Ecep.ecml.at. 11 September 2006.
  4. "Goals for Academic Writing". John Benjamins Publishing Company. 11 September 2006.
  5. Cumming, Alister (2006). Goals for Academic Writing. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 204. ISBN 9789027293312.
  6. Cumming, Alister (2012). Adolescent Literacies in a Multicultural Context. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. p. 246. ISBN 9781138788046.
  7. "Alister Cumming - Publications". The Academic Tree. 11 September 2018.
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