About Me
Hello, my name is Ping-Lin Chuang. I was born and raised in Taiwan. I have a BA in English from National Chengchi University in Taiwan, an MA in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and a PhD in Linguistics from UIUC. My research interests include language testing and assessment, quantitative research methods, and the application of psycholinguistic methods in TESOL research. Additionally, I have language teaching experience in multiple countries including Taiwan, Indonesia, and the US; I also have experience in test development and textbook writing.
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I am currently a Language Assessment Scientist at Duolingo, where I conduct validity and efficacy research for the Duolingo English Test. Before joining Duolingo, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Educational Psychology and Linguistics at UIUC. I helped develop and validate language proficiency tests for interpreters in Illinois public schools’ IEP meetings.
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When I am not working, I enjoy traveling, watching documentaries, and spending time with my cat.
Publications
Ping-Lin Chuang (2025)
Do source use features impact raters’ judgment of argumentation? An experimental study. Language Testing, 42(1), 48-72.
Xun Yan, Ping-Lin Chuang, & Cong Zhang (2024)
Economic return of English language proficiency: Does English language proficiency predict employee income in China?
Studies in Language Assessment, 13(1), 108-140.
Ping-Lin Chuang & Xun Yan (2023)
Connecting source use and argumentation in L2 integrated argumentative writing performance. Journal of Second Language Writing, 60, 101003.
Xun Yan & Ping-Lin Chuang (2023)
How do raters learn to rate?: Many-facet Rasch modeling of rater performance over the course of a rater certification program. Language Testing, 40(1), 153-179.
Ping-Lin Chuang & Xun Yan (2022)
An investigation of the relationship between argument structure and essay quality in assessed writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 56, 100892.
Selected Presentations
Ping-Lin Chuang (October 2024)
Eye-tracking insights into rater behavior: Comparing experienced and novice raters in L2 writing assessment (Best Student Presentation Award). Paper presented at the 25th Midwest Association of Language Testers (MwALT) Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Mark Chapman & Ping-Lin Chuang (October 2024)
Speaking task models in tests for young language learners: where to set the bar? Paper presented at the 25th Midwest Association of Language Testers (MwALT) Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Huiying Cai, Ping-Lin Chuang, Yulin Pan, Mingyue Huo, & Xun Yan (October 2024)
A feature-based machine learning approach to understanding item difficulty in L2 listening comprehension tests. Paper presented at the 25th Midwest Association of Language Testers (MwALT) Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Ping-Lin Chuang (April 2024)
Exploring raters’ attention and scoring decisions in L2 writing assessment through eye-tracking. Paper presented at the 2024 Language Assessment Research Conference (LARC), Provo, UT.
Ping-Lin Chuang, Michelle Kim, & Ching-Ni Hsieh (March 2023)
Writing performance characteristics of grades 3 to 8 students in three European countries. Paper to be presented at the 2023 American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Conference, Portland, OR.
Xun Yan, Ping-Lin Chuang, Huiying Cai, & Yulin Pan (March 2023)
Disuency doesn’t happen independently: Exploring how micro-level disuency features co-occur on the IELTS speaking test. Paper to be presented at the 2023 American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Conference, Portland, OR.
Ping-Lin Chuang (September 2022)
Do source use features impact raters’ judgment of argumentation? An experimental study. Work-in-Progress presented at the 2022 Language Assessment Research Conference (LARC), Chicago, IL.
Xun Yan, Ping-Lin Chuang, Shelley Staples, Huiying Cai, Mariana Centanin Bertho, & Yulin Pan (September 2022)
Exploring linguistic features of IELTS speaking performances. Paper presented at the 2022 Language Assessment Research Conference (LARC), Chicago, IL.
Ping-Lin Chuang (March 2022)
Source use in second language integrated argumentative writing assessment (Robert Lado Best Student Paper Award & ILTA Student Travel Award). Paper presented at the 2022 Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) Virtual Conference.
Ping-Lin Chuang (October 2021)
Argument structure and quality as validity evidence for integrated writing assessment (Best Student Presentation Award). Paper presented at the 22nd Midwest Association of Language Testers (MwALT) Virtual Conference.