On 6 October 2026, Professor Peter Yongqi Gu from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, was invited by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Macau, to deliver an academic lecture entitled “From theory to research: Locating your research topic in a larger framework” for first‑year PhD students in Applied Linguistics.

The lecture covered two core strands of applied‑linguistics research: language assessment and language‑learning strategies. For language assessment, Professor Gu unpacked the construct of communicative competence and elaborated on validity theory. He introduced argument‑based validation, encouraging doctoral students to adopt solid theoretical lenses to examine assumptions behind assessment instruments. He then reviewed 50 years of research on language‑learning strategies, summarizing key findings and existing limitations. He outlined an updated research agenda from cognitive, sociocultural and other perspectives, discussing theoretical reconceptualization, methodological diversification and practical research utility. His presentation inspired PhD candidates to conduct multi‑faceted research that accounts for tasks, learner profiles and contextual conditions, broadening their horizons for topic selection and study design at doctoral level.

Doctoral participants raised thoughtful questions concerning theoretical framing, validation procedures, methodology for learning‑strategy studies and challenges in PhD topic formulation. Students commented that the lecture fostered big‑picture thinking linking theory to research problems and offered valuable guidance for framing their own doctoral projects.

This lecture provided a high‑quality academic exchange platform for Applied Linguistics PhD candidates. It helps nurture postgraduate students’ theoretical critical thinking, enriches the academic culture of the Faculty’s doctoral program, and supports students in conducting theoretically‑informed original research.