Research Interests:
Natacha Mally is a dual-title PhD candidate in German Linguistics & Applied Linguistics and Language Science in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures. She graduated from Kansas State University with an M.A. in German Second Language Acquisition, an M.A. In Teaching English as a Foreign Language (Secondary Area of Study: Curriculum Design), and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning. Natacha is certified to teach ESL, French, and German and enjoys teaching at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Natacha also has experience coordinating language instruction. She is the Assistant Language Coordinator at Penn State Learning and has previously coordinated the German intensive courses at the Language Institute at Penn State.
Natacha’s research focuses on bilingualism and second language acquisition and (re)learning in people with neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders. Her research is centered on the creation of instructional methods, techniques, and tools to make language learning more inclusive and accessible. This includes, for example, research on the use of an online video learning platform to teach pronunciation in world language classrooms, as well as providing online training to bilinguals with aphasia. Natacha is also interested in linguistic and technological aspects that can aid in the communication of people with complex communication needs. In the future, she hopes to work on making augmentative and alternative communication devices more functional for bilinguals. Natacha believes that people with neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive disorders are underserved and that improved technology can help fill that void. She is confident that the LINDIV program’s cross-disciplinary courses, seminars, and research projects, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from the various disciplines who are also participating in the program, will assist her in achieving her goals.
