DrStergiani Kostopoulou

My research is situated within Applied Linguistics, with specialised expertise in TESOL pedagogy, English for Academic Purposes, Applied Corpus Linguistics, and innovations in feedback and assessment in higher education. My scholarship aims to generate theoretically robust and empirically grounded insights that address both conceptual and applied challenges in contemporary language education.

My current research interests centre on Generative AI applications in language education, feedback and assessment literacy, and the development of critical AI literacy among learners and educators. In pursuit of these objectives, I am actively involved in a range of collaborative projects:

• The Erasmus+ INFINITE AI in Higher Education Project, where I design blended courses to promote AI literacy among academics and students, informed by stakeholder engagement and the development of strategic implementation frameworks.
• The Digi-PAIR-Edu Project, a cross-institutional initiative preparing post-primary teachers, teacher educators and school leaders in Ireland to facilitate parental involvement in the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies for students.
• A case study within MA TESOL applying Universal Design for Learning principles to foster inclusive, learner-centred, and technology-enhanced feedback practices, with a particular focus on dialogic and formative assessment.
• A mixed-methods study exploring Pre-Sessional students’ engagement with various feedback modalities—peer, teacher, self, and AI—to support academic writing, feedback literacy, and cultivate critical awareness of authorship, academic integrity, and intellectual agency.
• The Erasmus+ Blooming the Future of STEAM Project, addressing diversity and inclusion within STE(A)M education in Irish education, with emphasis on gender equality and innovative pedagogical practices.

My publications and conference presentations span a range of areas including inclusive and sustainable feedback and assessment practices in higher education, learner autonomy in EAP, peer review, self-assessment and feedback literacy in academic writing, application of language corpora and CEFR-based frameworks in curriculum and materials development, metacognition in second language pedagogy, English language support in Irish post-primary education, and building sustainable learning partnerships for educational transformation.

I am interested in supervising Masters and Ph.D. students in any of the following research areas:

Second Language Pedagogy
English for Academic Purposes
Language Assessment and Testing
Applied Corpus Linguistics
Technology-enhanced learning

(Generative) AI applications in language education