About Me | Troy L. Cox, PhD | Teaching Portfolio

Troy L. Cox, PhD, Research Professor of Second Language Studies

Biography

I have worked at Brigham Young University since 1996 and currently serve as Research Professor of Second Language Studies and Associate Director of Language Proficiency Services and Research at the Center for Language Studies, where I also coordinate the Language Sciences Laboratory. I hold a PhD in Instructional Psychology and Technology, with a specialization in educational measurement and learning. My research and publications focus on language proficiency, assessment, second language acquisition, self-assessment, and objective (Rasch) measurement. As a consultant for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), I facilitate workshops on language proficiency and measurement throughout the United States and Europe.

Outside the office, I'm the husband of Heidi and father of three adult kids — Cameron, Hannah, and Millie — and outnumbered at home by two Boston Terriers, JoJo and Remy. I practice yoga, lift weights, ride bikes, and cook, and I try to bring the same habits of steady, unglamorous practice into my teaching that I bring to those. I'm also an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which shapes a lot of how I think about mentorship and showing up for people.

Troy Cox teaching a language testing class, gesturing mid-explanation to students

Troy Cox doing a yoga headstand on a stone wall overlooking Utah Lake, next to his gravel bike

Troy Cox doing a handstand beside a presentation slide at the Language Testing Research Colloquium in Montreal, as a colleague laughs

Troy Cox holding a freshly baked homemade pizza from his outdoor pizza oven

Education

PhD, Instructional Psychology and Technology — Brigham Young University, 2013. Concentrations: item response theory, language assessment, technology in teaching and assessment, teacher education, research and evaluation. Dissertation: Investigating Prompt Difficulty in an Automatically Scored Speaking Performance Assessment.
MA, Teaching English as a Second Language — Brigham Young University, 1996. Thesis: The Effect of Prequestions, Proficiency Level, and Passage Length on Listening Comprehension Test Scores.
Certificate, Teaching English as a Second Language — Brigham Young University, 1995.
BA, Linguistics — Brigham Young University, 1994 (Cum Laude).

Teaching & Research Interests

My teaching centers on second language assessment, research methods, and language program administration, and I train language teachers and testers in proficiency-based instruction, oral proficiency interviewing (ACTFL OPI), and Rasch/item response theory measurement. I'm especially interested in how self-assessment, formative feedback, and communicative, proficiency-oriented instruction help learners take ownership of their own language development.

Who I Work With

I teach and chair graduate research for MA and PhD students in Second Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Instructional Psychology and Technology at BYU, and I guest lecture in undergraduate linguistics courses. Through ACTFL, BILC, and direct consulting, I also train in-service K–12 and university language teachers, government and military language testers, and program administrators — most recently through multi-day workshops for the Defense Language Institute, school districts in Utah and Oregon, and language testing organizations internationally.

Professional Goals

I aim to keep strengthening the connection between rigorous language assessment research and everyday classroom practice — helping teachers use proficiency data formatively, not just for placement or accountability — while continuing to mentor the next generation of language testers and applied linguists.

Elsewhere

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