Lorena Salud Gadella Kamstra
Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Arts
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Biography
Dr Lorena S. Gadella Kamstra (PhD, SFHEA) is an Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics in the School of English at the 糖心原创. Her research addresses two related areas: language teacher motivation and (de)motivation, with attention to the institutional conditions that shape teachers' professional experiences; and language teacher education, with a particular interest in how pre-service training prepares teachers for the realities of in-service practice. She holds a PhD in English Language Teaching from the University of Essex, where she subsequently served as a Lecturer in Linguistics. Her methodological work on reflexive and participatory approaches to qualitative inquiry has been published in Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching and the International Journal of Social Research Methodology.
Lorena holds Senior Fellowship of Advance HE (SFHEA) alongside other national and international teaching qualifications. At Nottingham, she contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in applied linguistics, second language acquisition, and language teaching pedagogy, and welcomes doctoral supervision enquiries in these areas. Beyond academia, her research has been supported by the British Council through an English Language Teaching Research Award, and she has written for public audiences in The Conversation (UK and Spain) on the role of teacher motivation in education.
Expertise Summary
Dr Lorena S. Gadella Kamtra's research expertise spans language teacher psychology, with a primary focus on teacher motivation, demotivation, and mindsets, as well as language teacher education and pre-service development. Her work explores how digital technologies and generative artificial intelligence are transforming educational practices and language learning environments. Methodologically, she specialises in qualitative research, focusing on reflexive, participatory, and qualitative inquiry approaches in applied linguistics. She also possesses extensive expertise in second language acquisition and English language teaching (ELT) methodology.
Teaching Summary
Lorena serves as Convenor for the MA Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching, where she oversees curriculum development and student progression. She contributes to undergraduate and… read more
Research Summary
Dr Lorena S. Gadella Kamstra research addresses language teacher psychology, with a focus on how institutional conditions and professional experiences shape teachers' motivation, engagement, and… read more
Recent Publications
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2025. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. 1-27
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2024. British Council. (978-1-915280-37-4)
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2022. International Journal of Social Research Methodology.
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2021. . In: Teaching Practices and Equitable Learning in Children鈥檚 Language Education IGI Global. 130-150
Lorena serves as Convenor for the MA Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching, where she oversees curriculum development and student progression. She contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate modules in the School of English, bridging theoretical concepts with practical, student-centered classroom applications. Her current teaching includes the first-year Academic Community module (ENGL1038), alongside specialist modules in language acquisition and pedagogy, including Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL; ENGL3012), Second Language Acquisition (SLA; ENGL4069), and Language Teaching: Speaking and Listening (ENGL4142). Her broader teaching portfolio encompasses foundational modules such as 糖心原创ing Language (ENGL1002) and The Psychology of Bilingualism and Language Learning (PBLL; ENGL2122).
She supervises postgraduate dissertations across MA programmes and currently supervises three PhD students conducting research on language teacher motivation, English Medium Instruction (EMI) policy, and generative AI in feedback and assessment. She also welcomes further doctoral supervision enquiries in language teacher psychology, digital technologies in education, and ELT pedagogy. Additionally, she serves as Joint Honours Liaison Tutor, facilitating academic support and cross-disciplinary collaboration for a highly interdisciplinary cohort of students across English, Modern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Cultural, Media and Visual Studies, and American and Canadian Studies.
Current Research
Dr Lorena S. Gadella Kamstra research addresses language teacher psychology, with a focus on how institutional conditions and professional experiences shape teachers' motivation, engagement, and development. She is currently investigating two interconnected areas: language teacher motivation and pedagogy within EFL contexts, with attention to institutional influences on professional experiences; and the integration of generative AI into language teaching and learning, focusing on student teachers' perspectives and emerging pedagogical practices. This work draws on reflexive and participatory qualitative methodologies that prioritise teachers' voices and experiential knowledge. Her research has been supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), YERUN Research Mobility Awards (YRMA), and the British Council (English Language Teaching Research Award).
Past Research
Her doctoral research examined EFL teacher motivation, demotivation, and motivational awareness in Spain, exploring solutions to teacher demotivation (ESRC-funded). Building on this, she explored how reflective and inclusive teaching practices can support teachers' professional growth and address sources of demotivation. She has also investigated the transition from pre-service to in-service teaching and the role of initial teacher education in preparing teachers for classroom realities (British Council ELTRA Award - this report can be found in ). Throughout this work, she has examined EFL/ESL teachers' challenges and training needs across diverse contexts, and has published on research dilemmas and the importance of recognizing the challenges inherent in qualitative inquiry.
Future Research
She aims to expand her investigations into language teacher psychology across diverse educational contexts, with continued emphasis on how pre-service teacher education prepares teachers for professional practice, alongside deepening her examination of AI integration in language pedagogy and its implications for teacher education and practice.
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2025. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. 1-27
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2024. British Council. (978-1-915280-37-4)
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2022. International Journal of Social Research Methodology.
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2021. . In: Teaching Practices and Equitable Learning in Children鈥檚 Language Education IGI Global. 130-150
GADELLA KAMSTRA, L. S., 2021. Teaching English as a Second Language Electronic Journal (TESL-EJ). 25(1),