Katherine Kerschen’s research focuses on second language learners’ lexical knowledge and the process of vocabulary acquisition in a second/foreign language.
Kerschen’s research explores how different instructional methods affect the processes and outcomes of adult second language acquisition. She is particularly interested in the impact of different training activities on vocabulary learning and recall. Her research incorporates both psycholinguistic and classroom-based approaches. She is also active in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), currently conducting studies on learner autonomy and listening comprehension exercises, and having worked previously on project-based learning. Her goal is to bring innovative pedagogical methods and a social justice-oriented, equitable, and inclusive approach to the foreign language classroom.
In addition to German language courses, Kerschen teaches graduate seminars on language pedagogy. She has also taught a variety of undergraduate courses in both English and German on topics related to multilingualism and second language acquisition.
Kerschen earned her bachelor’s degree in German and Psychology, with a minor in Applied Linguistics, from Washington University in St. Louis. Upon graduation, she was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grant to teach English in a secondary school in Germany. She then earned her master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the Technische Universität (TU) Dortmund and taught in the TESOL and Applied Linguistics program. She completed a dual-title doctorate in German Applied Linguistics and Language Science from the Pennsylvania State University in 2022.
Kerschen is also a member of the Applied Linguistics Steering Committee.
Recent publications:
Kerschen, K., & Layher, W. (2024). Partnerships between K-12 and higher education: New opportunities for students and teachers. Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/tger.12270
Brooks, L.J, & Kerschen, K. (2022). Life beyond the classroom: Project-based learning and assessment in a foreign language writing course. Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, 55(1), 80-94.
