UBC Okanagan

Scott Roy Douglas, B.A. M.Ed. Ph.D. (Calgary)

Assistant Professor

Research and Teaching Areas: Teaching English as an Additional Language (TEAL)

Office: EME3151
Phone: 250.807.9277
Email: scott.douglas@ubc.ca

Background:  An Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the UBC’s Okanagan campus, Dr. Douglas has worked with additional language learners throughout the world from the Middle East to Asia. Dr. Douglas teaches courses in Developing Instructional Strategies for English as a Second Language (ESL)/French as a Second Language (FSL), ESL in Inclusive Education, ESL in Secondary Education, and ESL and Literacy Education.

Research Interests:  Dr. Douglas’ research primarily looks at the transition from high school to university and the vocabulary use and academic achievement of non-native English speaking students. His other research interests include vocabulary profiling of post-secondary academic writing, English for Academic Purposes curriculum design, online technology as a tool for fostering English language proficiency, additional language teacher education, and equal access to certification and employment for internationally educated non-native English speaking teachers.

Scholarly Contributions:  Dr. Douglas is the co-author of Q: Skills for Success Reading and Writing 5, published by Oxford University Press. He has also co-published in the Journal of International Migration and Integration, and he is a regular contributor to the “Wired Teacher” column in BC TEAL News. In addition, he has written articles for the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL) newsletter. Dr. Douglas has also presented at the provincial, national, and international levels in Canada, the USA, and Japan. Currently, Dr. Douglas is working with Dr. Hetty Roessingh of the University of Calgary to co-edit a special issue of the TESL Canada Journal on the topic “Generation 1.5 in Canada: Multiple Perspectives on a Shifting Demographic Landscape”.

Academic Service:   As part of the Teachers of English as a Second Language (TESL) Canada Federation, Dr. Douglas sits on the board of directors as well as the TESL Canada conference planning committee. He is also an active member of the Association of British Columbia Teachers of English as an Additional Language (BC TEAL ), helping with the planning of the annual BC Interior conference for teachers of English as a Additional Language (EAL).

Selected Publications:

Caplan, N. and Douglas, S. (2011). Q Skills for Success Reading and Writing 5 Student Book (includes Q Online Practice). New York: Oxford University Press. Publisher’s Website: click here

Douglas, S. (2011, February). The lexical anatomy of a novice NNES undergraduate essay. The ATESL Newsletter, 6 – 8. PDF of ATESL February 2011 Newsletter

Douglas, S. (Winter 2011). How times have changed: Online vocabulary profilers. BC TEAL News, 13 – 14. PDF of BC TEAL News Winter 2011

Douglas, S. (Fall 2010). Collaborating with blogs in the zone of proximal development. BC TEAL News.  PDF of BC TEAL News Fall 2010

Douglas, S. (2005, December – November). Exploring the lived experience: Blogs as a tool for second language acquisition. The ATESL Newsletter, 18.  PDF of ATESL Newsletter 2005

Roessingh, H. and Douglas, S. (2011). English Language Learners’ Transitional Needs from High School to University: An Exploratory Study. Journal of International Migration and Integration.

Part of our job as teachers is fostering the education of our learners' imaginations so that they can precisely articulate themselves in increasingly decontextualized and cognitively challenging academic endeavour. That precise articulation is unleashed with the ability to deploy an apt and varied vocabulary...