Thomais Rousoulioti | Social Sciences | Best Research Article Award

Dr Thomais Rousoulioti, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Thomais Rousoulioti is a dedicated scholar in Applied Linguistics, specializing in the teaching and assessment of Greek as a second or foreign language. With over two decades of academic and practical experience, she has significantly contributed to language education policy, curriculum development, and teacher training in Greece and abroad. Holding a PhD from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, she has served as a lecturer, curriculum coordinator, and content editor for various educational programs. Currently, she teaches at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Hellenic Open University, while also coordinating the postgraduate program “Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language” at the University of Nicosia. She has conducted seminars and workshops globally and has played an instrumental role in the Greek Language Certification exams. Passionate about language acquisition in multilingual contexts, she integrates innovative teaching strategies and evidence-based assessment practices to enhance language education outcomes for diverse learner populations.

Publication Profile

scopus

Education

Thomais Rousoulioti earned her PhD in Applied Linguistics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with her thesis focusing on “Non-simple lexical units and the learning of Modern Greek as a second/foreign language.” Supported by a State Scholarship Foundation of Greece fellowship, her doctoral research emphasized the assessment of Greek language proficiency. She also completed postdoctoral research in 2022 on morphological analysis and vocabulary teaching strategies in multilingual settings. She holds two master’s degrees: one in Language and Communication Sciences from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a thesis on comparative language teaching, and another in Adult Education from the Hellenic Open University, where she researched vocabulary comprehension strategies in military education contexts. Additionally, she holds undergraduate degrees from the Departments of Greek Literature and Journalism and Mass Communication at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Her academic trajectory reflects a strong interdisciplinary approach to linguistics, pedagogy, and language policy.

Experience

Since 2017, Thomais Rousoulioti has served as special teaching staff at the Department of Italian Language and Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. From 2010 to 2017, she worked at the Centre for the Greek Language, contributing to the development of language certification exams and global harmonization efforts based on CEFR levels. She has over a decade of experience teaching Greek as a second language at all proficiency levels, notably at the Institute for Continuing Adult Education and the Military School of Corps Officers in Thessaloniki. She has taught at the Hellenic Open University since 2016 and coordinated various training programs, including “Routes” and “Channel,” aimed at educators in the diaspora. Internationally, she has conducted training seminars in China, the UK, Sweden, Serbia, Ukraine, Belgium, and Cyprus. She also coordinates the MA program “Teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language” at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus.

Awards and Honors

While specific individual awards are not formally listed in the provided biography, Thomais Rousoulioti’s distinguished academic path reflects significant recognition and trust from national and international institutions. Her PhD studies were fully funded by the prestigious State Scholarship Foundation of Greece—an honor awarded to top-tier doctoral candidates. Her leadership roles, including coordination of international programs, and her invitations to present seminars globally—from Brussels to Mariupol and from Belgrade to Beijing—highlight the esteem in which she is held by the global Greek language education community. Her involvement with national education reform, curriculum development, and the official certification process for Greek language proficiency, as well as her contributions to teacher training through recognized programs like “Routes,” reflect both peer recognition and national educational impact. Additionally, being selected to conduct the first training seminar on teaching Greek in China (2018) further illustrates her international educational influence.

Research Focus

Thomais Rousoulioti’s research centers on applied linguistics, with a primary focus on second/foreign language acquisition and vocabulary instruction in multilingual contexts. Her PhD thesis explored complex lexical units in Modern Greek and how they influence language learning outcomes. She has since expanded her work to include vocabulary comprehension strategies, morphological analysis, and assessment methodologies in multilingual classrooms. Her postdoctoral research in 2022 examined teaching strategies for vocabulary development in diverse linguistic environments. Rousoulioti is also deeply involved in assessment design, particularly related to the Certificate of Attainment in Greek, aligning her work with the CEFR framework. Her teaching and research are grounded in real-world educational needs, including military and adult education contexts, as well as refugee and migrant language instruction. Her interdisciplinary approach blends theoretical linguistics with practical pedagogy, focusing on teacher training, language proficiency measurement, and multicultural classroom dynamics.

Publication Top Notes

1. ✏️ CLICK – Teaching Book for Greek as L2 (2013–2016, Ziti Publications)

2. 📘 Models of Curricula for the Teaching of Greek as a Second/Foreign Language (2015, Ziti Publications)

3. 📚 Support Material for Teaching Greek Abroad (2015, Ziti Publications)

4. 🧾 Certification of Attainment in Greek: New Comprehensive Examination Syllabus (2013, Ziti Publications)

5. 🧑‍🏫 Enhancing Assessment Literacy for Teachers of Less Commonly Taught Languages: Insights from Greek as a Second Language (2025, Trends in Higher Education)

6. 💬 Memorizing Vocabulary in Multilingual Classrooms: Strategies Adopted by Teachers in Distance Education (2023, Societies)

7. 🏫 Multicultural Approaches to Non-Intercultural Schools: Philologists’ Views and Attitudes in Mixed Classes in Athens (2023, in 24th ISTAL Selected Papers)