معرفی
Dr. Thomas Rankin is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and American Studies at Masaryk University's Faculty of Arts in Brno, Czech Republic. His academic work focuses on the intersection of linguistics and language teaching methodology, with particular expertise in second language acquisition and English syntax. He maintains an active research profile while teaching courses related to English language didactics and supervising Master's theses in language education.
Dr. Rankin's primary research interests include second language acquisition, English syntax, and language teacher education. His work particularly examines how learners acquire complex syntactic structures in English as a second language, with a focus on negative inversion, negative polarity items, and word order variation. His research often investigates the interplay between input frequency, first language transfer, and the development of explicit and implicit knowledge in language learners, contributing valuable insights to both theoretical linguistics and practical language teaching.
His recent publications reveal a clear research trajectory focused on understanding the acquisition of specific syntactic phenomena in L2 English, particularly negative constructions. His work bridges theoretical linguistics and practical language teaching, with increasing attention to teacher cognition and metalinguistic awareness in language educators. The consistency in his research topics demonstrates a sustained scholarly commitment to understanding how syntactic knowledge develops in second language learners and how this knowledge can inform language teacher education.
Dr. Rankin actively supervises Master's students in the Teaching English Language and Literature for Secondary Schools program, guiding them through thesis projects focused on language teaching methodology. His grant activity includes participation in several university-funded research projects related to language teaching innovation, including "Implementing Innovative Teaching Methods in Language Teacher Training" where he serves as a researcher. His work contributes significantly to the development of language education practices at Masaryk University.
