Dr Lianxin (Megan) Li

Dr. Megan Li is a Lecturer in TESOL and Linguistics with a strong interdisciplinary background in language education and applied linguistics. Her affiliation with Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) began in 2021 as a guest speaker, where she delivered sessions on research methodology to MA students. From 2021 to 2024, she served as an Associate Lecturer in TESOL and Linguistics, contributing to both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She has taught across the BA English Language and Teaching and the MA Education with TESOL programmes, with a focus on modules such as First Language Acquisition, Second Language Acquisition, English for Academic Purposes, the psychology of language learning and TESOL in Practice. In addition, she was also appointed as a dissertation supervisor and assessment feedback coordinator for the MA Education programme in 2024 at the University of Sheffield.

Dr. Li holds a BA in English Education Studies from China and completed her MA in TESOL with Education at BGU in 2019. She was awarded her PhD in 2025 by the University of Leicester. Her doctoral research examined learner motivation and psychological needs satisfaction in the context of learning languages other than English (LOTE) in Chinese universities, drawing on Self-Determination Theory as a central theoretical framework.

Her research interests lie in LOTE teaching and learning, motivation in language education, individual learner differences, positive psychology in second language acquisition, and English for Academic Purposes. She is particularly interested in how psychological and cognitive factors influence motivation in language learning in diverse educational contexts.