Miao Yiran, a PhD student from the School of Education at City University of Macau, presented a paper at the 11th Asian Language Testing Association (AALA) International Conference, held in Penang, Malaysia, in August. As one of the most influential international academic events in the field of language assessment, the conference attracted numerous experts, scholars, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to explore cutting-edge issues and future directions in language assessment.

Under the theme “Language Assessment in the Global South: Present Explorations & Future Directions,” this year’s AALA conference addressed the new challenges and opportunities brought by globalization and digitalization to language teaching and assessment. The conference programme featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, parallel sessions, and poster presentations, during which participants engaged in in-depth and productive academic exchanges.

Reflecting on her experience at this high-level academic gathering, Miao Yiran expressed that she had benefited greatly:“Presenting my research at such a leading international conference as AALA has been an extremely valuable and exciting experience. It is not only a recognition of my previous research work, but also a rare learning opportunity. Through discussions with experts from all over the world, I received many constructive comments on my research project, which will greatly support the further development and refinement of my subsequent studies.”

In addition to presenting her own research, Miao also stressed that listening to presentations by other scholars was equally inspiring.“I was deeply impressed by the vitality and diversity of the field of language assessment. From macro-level language policy research to micro-classroom assessment techniques, every presentation broadened my horizons. In particular, the discussions on the application of artificial intelligence in language assessment have given me a clearer plan for my future research direction.”She stated that she would integrate what she has learned from the conference into her future studies and research, continuously improve her research capacity, and lay a solid foundation for her academic development.