Jesica Unting

Profile

My interest in the English language began during my school years, where I developed a deep appreciation for English literature and literature in English. I completed my B.Ed. TESL at Universiti Malaysia Sabah and began teaching in 2009, later pursuing an M.Ed. TESL at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2017.

As educational technology continued to advance, my interests expanded toward digital integration in language teaching and English teacher development in relation to technology use. In 2024, I embarked on my doctoral journey at the University of Leeds, fully funded by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. My doctoral research focuses on the intersection of teacher cognition and digital assessment practices, reflecting both my classroom experience and my long‑standing interest in educational technology.

Research interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of language assessment, teacher cognition, and educational technology, particularly within English as a Second Language (ESL) education. Having worked extensively with traditional paper‑based assessment, I became increasingly interested in how digital tools can enhance assessment processes and how teachers make sense of these tools in their everyday practice. This led me to explore how ESL teachers conceptualise digital assessment and how their beliefs, professional knowledge, experiences, and contextual realities shape the decisions they make when selecting and implementing digital assessment tools.

Rather than viewing technology as merely a collection of digital applications, my work focuses on the cognitive processes underlying teachers’ assessment practices (why they choose particular tools, when they decide to use them, and how they integrate these tools to support student learning). I am particularly interested in the decision‑making processes that guide teachers’ use of digital assessment in the ESL classroom and how these decisions are influenced by the training and professional development they receive in relation to digital integration.

Through this research, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of teachers’ decision‑making in digital assessment and to inform the development of policies and professional learning initiatives that support meaningful, pedagogically grounded assessment practices in ESL contexts.

Qualifications

• MEd in TESL
• BEd in TESL

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Digital Learning
• Centre for Language Education Research
• Centre for Curriculum, Pedagogy and Policy