Jürgen Kurtz

Jürgen Kurtz is a full Professor of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at Justus Liebig University Giessen since 2011, after holding a full professorship at Karlsruhe University of Education (2001-2011). He served as chair of the English department at JLU Giessen (2013-2015) and has been a visiting professor at Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Canada). His work bridges theory and practice in EFL education.

• Education: Dr. phil. in Cognitive Psychology/First Language Acquisition (1989, summa cum laude), Habilitation in TEFL (2000)

Research Focus:

• Improvisation and creativity in structured EFL learning environments
• Textbook analysis, development, and digital innovation
• Hybrid learning models for pre-service EFL teacher education
• Standards-based instruction and neoliberal critiques in language education

Publications & Editorial Work: Author of books and articles on EFL pedagogy, textbook use, and digital learning. Speaker of the editorial board for Gießener Beiträge zur Fremdsprachendidaktik (since 2013), overseeing over 50 publications in the series.

Professional Contributions: Founder of the TEFLhybrid@JLU project, developer of innovative EFL courses, and active in in-service teacher training through The English Academy (TEA). His work explores augmented reality applications and critical approaches to textbook use.