Guidelines for Submitting to ESBB-KOTESOL NatCon2024
Submissions close July 31!
SUBMIT HERE: https://koreatesol.org/nc2024/submission-form
Note: To view the submission form, you must be logged into a verified online profile at koreatesol.org. You can create an online profile here. Then be sure to click the verification link in the automatic confirmation email sent to you! Please add koreatesol.org to your "safe sender" domain list.
Proposals Accepted: January 10-July 31, 2024
Proposal Acceptance Notification: On a rolling basis, but no later than August 15
Presenter Registration/Payment Deadline: August 31
Submit a Proposal Here (to view, must be logged in at koreatesol.org. Create an online profile here.)
Proposals on a wide variety of topics are welcome, particularly those in the spirit of the theme.
What to Know Before You Submit
On the Submission Form
- Title (12 words or fewer, following APA title case; check the capitalization here: https://capitalizemytitle.com/)
- Abstract (150 words maximum; use first-person language [why])
- Author Biographical Profile(s) (60 words maximum per presenter)
- Session Format (workshop, research presentation, panel, etc., plus in-person or video; see below)
- Session Topic (see below)
Presentation Formats
- Research Reports/Papers (25 minutes, in-person or video)
- Workshops (50 or 80 minutes, in-person only)
- 101 Workshops (50 minutes, in-person only)
- Roundtables (50 minutes, in-person only)
- Panel Discussions (50 or 80 minutes, in-person only)
- Posters (50 minutes, in-person; online via Padlet or a PDF is also possible, accessible for the duration of the conference)
- Pecha Kucha (20 slides, 20 seconds each, in-person or video)
- Student Showcase: Research (15 minutes; in-person or video)
- Student Showcase: Panel Discussion (50 minutes; in-person only)
- Got another idea? Alternative session formats are welcome; contact us (natconfchair2024@koreatesol.org)!
Proposal Topic/Category
Please note:
After you submit your proposal, you will be unable to edit it.
Please proofread your proposal carefully; generative AI such as Bard or ChatGPT or a tool such as Grammarly can help with this.
Please use first-person language in your abstract; we prefer "I" rather than "the researcher." (Why?)
Please include all co-presenters in your proposal. You (the submitter) are considered the corresponding presenter; as such, you are responsible for making sure your co-presenters receive all the necessary information about registering for the conference, checking the schedule, etc.
Some presentation types can be presented online via pre-recorded video (select in-person or online when you submit your proposal).
If you choose online, you'll provide us with a high-quality pre-recorded video recording of your content (or Padlet or PDF, if you're creating a poster) for sharing online; if you choose in-person, you'll participate at a set time in person (onsite in Gwangju).
Registration fees can be paid via bank transfer, PayPal, or Wise. We cannot accept credit cards. (Note: For most countries, PayPal includes a credit card option.)
All proposals must be for work NOT previously presented at a KOTESOL or ESBB conference.
You may submit multiple proposals; however, we can accept a maximum of two proposals from any one presenter. (You may be an additional participant in an unlimited number of roundtables and panels, however.)
All presenters must abide by the KOTESOL Code of Conduct and the KOTESOL Ethical Standards for Research and Publication.
Additional information about the session formats, session subtypes, tips for improving your proposal, and more is available below.
Additional Details
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation criteria are dependent on the type of presentation, as they always have been for us. We believe in a strengths-based approach. This approach focuses primarily on the strong areas of proposals and, via mentoring and feedback, builds on them to increase the likelihood of acceptance—and more importantly, the likelihood of a successful presentation and a positive experience for all. We hope this will encourage the "proposal hesitant" to send us a submission, particularly less-experienced presenters and those who have cited their English level as a deterrent to submitting in past years.
Theme
Presenters often ask if their proposal needs to "fit" the theme of the conference in order to be considered. The answer to that is, "No, proposals don't need to fit the theme." What we are interested in, more than anything, is having high-quality presentations from many different areas of ELT and education. Some of these areas engage with the theme readily while others do not. We recognize and respect this! If in doubt, submit your proposal. (In the spirit of our theme, though, we strongly encourage "outside-the-box" proposals that challenge and complicate traditional notions of learning and education.
Publishing Opportunities
All conference participants are invited to present their work for publication in ESBB's annual (Scopus-indexed) journal. In addition, any participants who are KOTESOL members are welcome to submit work to KOTESOL's research journal, the Korea TESOL Journal. (Other KOTESOL membership benefits are listed here.)
Detailed Guidelines for Proposals
These guidelines may help you in preparing your proposal for submission. They will explain:
Your Presentation Title
Presentation Formats
Conference Schedule
Session Topic
Your Abstract
Selection Process and Timeline
Final Notes
The title of your presentation should:
- Accurately and effectively reflect the content of the presentation
- Be eye-catching
- Be 12 words or fewer
- NOT use the term “101” unless it is a “101” presentation (i.e., introducing basic concepts aimed at less-experienced or novice presenters)
- Follow APA style guidelines for "title case" capitalization: Capitalize the first word of the title and any subtitle; capitalize all “major” words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and prepositions 4+ letters long) in the title, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., Computer-Assisted, not Computer-assisted); capitalize all words of four or more letters. Please check your title's capitalization here: https://capitalizemytitle.com/
This year, we have the following official presentation formats:
- Research Reports/Papers (25 minutes, in-person or video)
- Workshops (50 or 80 minutes, in-person only)
- 101 Workshops (50 minutes, in-person only)
- Roundtables (50 minutes, in-person only)
- Panel Discussions (50 or 80 minutes, in-person only)
- Posters (50 minutes, in-person; online via Padlet or a PDF is also possible, accessible for the duration of the conference)
- Pecha Kucha (20 slides, 20 seconds each, in-person or video)
- Student Showcase (15 minutes for research presentations, in-person or video; 50 minutes for panel discussions, in-person only)
Alternative formats are also encouraged; please contact us (natconfchair2024@koreatesol.org) to discuss your ideas!
1. RESEARCH REPORTS / PAPERS (25 minutes)
- These are reports on original research.
- Usually, these follow the typical format for presenting on a research study: statement of the problem, conceptual/theoretical framework + literature review, research question(s), methodology, data analysis, results, implications, and/or limitations.
- Typically, presenters will present for about 20 minutes and use the last five minutes of the 25-minute presentation slot for attendee Q&A.
2. WORKSHOPS (50 or 80 minutes)
- These are carefully structured, hands-on, interactive professional development activities. The presenter(s) and participants tackle a problem or develop specific teaching or research techniques. These sessions show, not just tell, a technique of practical interest to educators.
- Attendees should develop knowledge, skills, or techniques they can use in their classroom settings.
- The presenter may spend a limited amount of time explaining the underlying theory but should spend the majority of the session explaining and demonstrating the practice and its implementation.
- The workshop format is intended to be highly interactive; extensive audience participation is expected.
3. 101 WORKSHOPS (50 minutes)
- These are similar to the workshops described above, but they are aimed primarily at less-experienced or novice teachers.
- 101 workshops typically introduce basic principles and should be a true introduction to the topic.
3. ROUNDTABLES (50 minutes)
- These are peer-to-peer discussions about a current topic or question relevant to ELT.
- The dialogue facilitator(s) should have strong knowledge of the designated topic and be able to engage the audience in the discussion.
- Significant audience participation in the discussion is expected.
- A maximum of two facilitators is recommended.
4. PANEL DISCUSSIONS (50 or 80 minutes)
- These sessions involve a moderator and three or four panelists talking about one topic or question relevant to ELT.
- The panelists address the topic and respond to each other to develop and explore the topic.
- Audience participation in the discussion is encouraged.
- ONE form is submitted by the moderator, naming all panelists as co-presenters.
- A maximum of five participants (four presenters and one moderator) is allowed.
5. POSTER PRESENTATIONS (50 minutes, in-person; Padlet or PDF suggested for online, accessible for the duration of the conference)
- These presentations involve information about a research report or project, presented visually using text and images (and other audiovisual contents permitted by your preferred online tools, if you choose online-only).
- The poster should be able to stand alone in informing attendees about the topic.
- Online-only posters can be created on Padlet or as a PDF and “displayed” online for the duration of the conference. Padlet allows a variety of media to be uploaded and shared; we encourage you to be creative and engage the audience by posting links, videos, images, PDF summaries of your poster, and more, creating a dynamic and interactive poster.
- In-person posters will be displayed during a designated 1-hour timeslot at the conference. Presenters are requested to be present at that time to answer questions from passers-by.
Poster presentations are great for first-time presenters!
6. PECHA KUCHA (20 slides, 20 seconds each)
- Pecha kucha presentation is a format in which 20 slides are displayed for 20 seconds each.
- The slides should be set on an automatic timer so they move automatically as the presenter is speaking.
- This format ensures that the speaker is concise and keeps the presentation moving. It’s great for storytelling, and highly visual presentations are encouraged.
7. STUDENT SHOWCASE (15 minutes for individual research presentations; 50 minutes for panels; other timings possible)
- Current undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to present their current research or perspectives.
- Most student presentations will be grouped together; each research presentation should be 15 minutes long, and student panel discussions should be 50 minutes long.
- Students may choose this option or can be considered in the general pool of abstracts.
- If you submit a proposal to the Student Showcase, our mentors will be in touch before the conference to guide you through the presentation process, including honing your abstract and strengthening your presentation.
- Student Showcase proposals will be vetted separately from the regular proposals; however, the guidelines for the title, abstract, etc., are the same as they are for regular proposals.
The conference schedule should be available by September 15, 2024.
In the "topic" portion of the submission form, please choose the category that best suits your presentation topic.
- Administration, Management, & Employment Issues
- Applied Linguistics / Second Language Acquisition
- (Sociolinguistics / Corpus Linguistics / Learner Corpora / Semantics / Pragmatics)
- Assessment / Testing
- Brain Stuff: Neuro-ELT / Psychology / Psycholinguistics
- Classroom Management
- Content-Based Instruction / EMI / CLIL
- Creativity / Critical Thinking / 4Cs
- Critical Pedagogy/Perspectives
- Culture & Cross-/Intercultural Perspectives
- Drama/Performance in the Classroom
- Education Management
- (Ownership, Administration, Managerial, Employment Issues)
- English for Specific or Academic Purposes
- Grammar
- Informal Learning / Affinity Spaces / Communities of Practice
- Language Policy / World Englishes / English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)
- Differentiated Instruction / Special Educational Needs / Learning Differences / Universal Design for Learning
- Listening
- Materials / Course / Curriculum Design
- Motivation / Identity / Agency
- Multiliteracies / Multimodality
- Multiple Skills
- Peacebuilding / Peace Studies / Peace Linguistics
- Reading
- Reflective Teaching Practice
- Research Methodologies & Approaches
- Social Justice Issues
- (Environmental Justice, Feminist/LGBTQ+/Race-Oriented Perspectives, Funds of Knowledge, Civic Engagement and Public/Engaged Scholarship, Postcolonial/Decolonial Perspectives, Service Learning)
- Speaking / Conversation / Pronunciation
- Task-/Project-Based Learning (TBL/PBL)
- Teacher Education / Professional Development
- Technology / Online Learning / AI / CALL / MALL
- Vocabulary
- Writing
- Other Issues
Abstracts can be a maximum of 150 words.
Proposals for research reports/papers and poster sessions should:
- Demonstrate the relevance and/or importance of the topic;
- Use first-person language ("I" or "we," NOT "the researcher");
- Include a clear conceptual/theoretical framework from which the research question(s) logically emerged;
- Include relevant information about the research methodology;
- Mention specific and relevant conclusions/recommendations/implications for the ELT field.
Proposals for workshops, dialogues, and panels should:
- Demonstrate the relevance and/or importance of the topic;
- Have a presentation plan detailing the method, procedure, or plan of action for the session;
- Mention specific tasks or methods used to facilitate session interactivity (i.e., active audience participation);
- Note the implications (especially practical outcomes) for TESOL professionals.
Guidelines for all abstracts
- Abstracts do not need bibliographical or reference notes. If they are included, they should be formatted according to APA style guidelines (7th Ed.)
- Your abstract will be visible to conference participants via our online platform.
- The abstract is your chance to showcase your work and appeal to conference attendees.
- Include a reasonable description of what participants can expect from your session (e.g., what is to be discussed or demonstrated and what they will gain by attending).
- Attendees should be able to tell if you will give them something new or repeat what they already know.
- Be explicit. Your audience should not be surprised by your presentation’s contents, just better informed.
SELECTION PROCESS & TIMELINE
Timeline for the selection process for the 2024 ESBB International TESOL & KOTESOL National Conference:
January 10: Call for proposals opens.
July 31: Call for proposals closes.
Rolling basis, but no later than August 15: Presenters are notified of acceptance/waitlist/rejection.
August 31: Deadline for presenter registration and payment.
The Selection Process
1. Each proposal received by the deadline is sent to two or three readers (the proposal review team) for review.
The evaluation criteria for research report/paper and poster presentations include:
Topic: Importance, currency, and appropriateness
Conceptual/Theoretical Framework: Session informed by theory or approach
Research Methodology: Description of research and data analysis
Conclusion: Relevance to and implications for the field
Proposal Writing Quality: Clarity of proposal as an indicator of presentation quality
The evaluation criteria for workshop, dialogue, and panel presentations include:
Topic: Importance, currency, and appropriateness
Framework: Session informed by theory, approach, action research, or classroom experience
Presentation Plan: Description of session content and procedure
Session Interactivity: Attendee interaction/participation
Pedagogical Implications: Relevance to educational settings
2. After the proposal review team has finished, the evaluations are returned to the program director, who compares the results and makes final selections based on the proposal review team’s input, paying close attention to offering a balance and range of presentations.
The final selection of proposals is based on:
The quality of the proposal based on the feedback and recommendations of the reviewers;
The range of topics within ELT and the relevance and importance of the topic to conference attendees;
The number of presentations on the same or similar topic and balanced theme or “strand” coverage;
A balanced range of session types;
Maintaining a diverse group of presenters (geographically, NEST/NNEST, workplace/level taught, etc.)
3. The program director contacts all applicants and notifies them whether their proposal has been accepted, waitlisted, or not accepted.
Tips for a Stronger Proposal
In reviewing the proposals, we ask several questions, including:
- Is the proposal clear? Do we have a solid expectation for what will happen in your session?
- Does the proposal show us something new, interesting, or helpful?
- Is the proposed format (e.g., research paper vs. workshop vs. panel) appropriate for the described content?
- If it is a workshop, does the abstract show what interactive tasks participants will be asked to do?
- If it is a roundtable or panel presentation, does the proposal indicate there will be an opportunity for attendees to engage with the session content?
- If it is a research paper or poster presentation, are the research questions, theoretical framework, methodology, and implications appropriate and clear?
- Are there any practical outcomes, recommendations, or conclusions to be taken from the session?
- Is the amount of material to be covered reasonable for the time requested?
- Does the submission follow the guidelines above (e.g., word-count limits) and properly classify the presentation (e.g., topic, research base, etc.)?
All proposals must be submitted via the webform. Must have an online profile at koreatesol.org and be logged in to view.
Please direct any program-related inquiries to the conference chair: natconfchair2024@koreatesol.org
We hope this has been helpful to you in planning and submitting your proposal. Good luck with your proposal, and we hope to see you at the conference!
