Achilleas Kostoulas

About me

I am an applied linguist, specializing in language education and (second language) teacher development. I teach at the University of Thessaly in Greece, and I am also affiliated with the Hellenic Open University. My research focuses on various aspects of language education, often seen through the lens of Complex Systems Theory.

This page provides some information about my teaching and research, my published work and by academic background. Elsewhere in the site, you can find various resources about language teacher education, TESOL/ELT, and applied linguistics. You can also find more detailed information about my publications, as well as pre-prints that you can download.

Picture of Achilleas Kostoulas
Copy of Challenging Boundaries in Language Education displayed in bookcase
Challenging Boundaries in Language Education

Research and Publications

I am interested in a wide range of phenomena related to teaching and learning languages. These include topics such as plurilingualism, language policy, and the psychological aspects of language education.

I often approach these topics through a complexity perspective, which helps me to draw connections between diverse phenomena. In 2018, I published a research monograph, A Language School as a Complex System. In this book, I demonstrate how complexity thinking can work as a metatheoretical framework in language education. More recently (2021), I co-authored a volume entitled The Intentional Dynamics of TESOL (with Juup Stelma), where we extend this thinking.

Academic appointments

Present

I work at the Department of Primary Education, at the University of Thessaly in Greece. In this role, I am involved in the delivery of applied linguistics and language education courses. I also take an active role in coordinating the teacher practicum.

I am also affiliated with the Hellenic Open University. In this role, I oversee the teacher placement module at the MA in Language Education for Refugees and Migrants.

University of Thessaly
University of Thessaly
University of Graz Campus
University of Graz Campus

In the past

Some of my earlier academic roles included:

Before that, I worked in various teaching and managerial capacities in primary and secondary schools in Greece. The most recent of these appointments was at the University of Ioannina 2nd Model/Experimental Primary School (Β’ Πρότυπο Πειραματικό Δημοτικό Σχολείο Ιωαννίνων).

University of Manchester, Whitworth Building
Whitworth Building, by Mike Peel | CC BY-SA

Academic background

I completed my doctoral studies at The University of Manchester, from where I received a PhD in Education (TESOL) in 2015. I also hold an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from The University of Manchester. Earlier in my life, I received a BA in English Studies from the University of Athens.

You can find more information about my academic background by clicking on the button below.


Find out more

In this site, I have put together information about myself and my academic work. I hope you find this content useful.

This site also hosts my blog. I don’t update this often nowadays, but you can find useful content there about applied linguistics and language teacher education.

If you scroll further down, or click on the menu, you can also access my podcast. This content is in Modern Greek, and it focuses on introductory linguistics concepts.

Recent blog posts

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Podcast

Η προϊστορία της ελληνικής γλώσσας Γλωσσολογικές Αναζητήσεις

Τι γλώσσες μιλούσαν οι πρόγονοί μας πριν τα ελληνικά; Σε τι γλώσσα είναι γραμμένος ο Δίσκος της Φαιστού; Και άλλα ερωτήματα για την προϊστορία της ελληνικής γλώσσας. Click to view the Podcast Notes