Rate My Professor Melissa Latham Keh

Melissa Latham Keh is an Associate Professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Bridgewater State University, where she teaches courses on assessment and second-language literacy development. She earned her BA and MA from Tufts University and her EdD from Boston University. Her doctoral dissertation, completed in 2014, examined second language reading among adolescent English language learners (ELLs). Before joining academia, Keh taught high school English and ESL for 12 years in the Boston and Brockton public schools. She also has experience teaching adult immigrants and K-12 students, and previously served as Practicum Coordinator in the MA TESOL Program.

Keh's scholarship focuses on the assessment and literacy development of English learners, bilingualism across the lifespan, and innovative evaluation methods for second language readers. In her 2019 article "Keeping Language in Mind: An Exploratory Study of English Learners’ Performance on Three Language and Literacy Assessments" in The CATESOL Journal, she analyzed how linguistic factors such as syntax, phonology, orthography, and vocabulary affect ELs' scores on tools like the Qualitative Reading Inventory-5, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4, and Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory, recommending linguistic modifications and first-language support. Her 2017 publication "Understanding and Evaluating English Learners’ Oral Reading with Miscue Analysis" in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy highlights miscue analysis as an asset-based approach to understand ELs' oral reading strategies and interlanguage features. Co-authored with Saskia Stoessel, "How First is First?: Revisiting Language Maintenance and Shift and the Meaning of L1/L2 in Three Retrospective Case Studies" (2017) explores language choice and bilingual development in immigrant siblings, challenging traditional notions of first language dominance. Additional works include studies on ESL licensure evaluation and instructional coaching in TESOL preparation. Keh has been active in professional organizations, holding positions such as President of MATSOL, and has presented her research at conferences including MATSOL annual meetings and TESOL conventions.