About

Lori A Czerwionka is an Associate Professor at Purdue University, affiliated with the School of Languages and Cultures (SLC) and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, as well as the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (SIS). She holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. Her primary research focuses on pragmatics, intercultural competence, and second language acquisition. Her work has concentrated on the use of discourse markers and mitigation strategies by native and non-native speakers of Spanish, as well as the acquisition of pragmatic and intercultural norms in learning environments, including short-term study abroad programs. To examine these topics, she employs a variety of methodological approaches, including corpus and experimental linguistics, along with qualitative and quantitative analyses. In addition to her linguistics research, she collaborates with an interdisciplinary team to investigate the effects of humanities-informed engineering learning experiences on problem-solving skills. Her research has been published in numerous books and journals, such as the Journal of Pragmatics, Intercultural Pragmatics, Hispania, and the International Journal of Learner Corpus Research.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Linguistics
• Humanities
• Psychology
• Political Science
• Natural Language Processing
• Optics
• Physics
• Medical education
• Engineering ethics
• Philosophy
• Medicine
• Engineering
• Data science
• Pedagogy

Selected publications

• Developing students' sociotechnical thinking in the humanities‐engineering classroom: A treatment versus control study using a scenario‐based assessment

  Journal of Engineering Education · 2025-05-13 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Background Engineering problems are open‐ended and complex, involving technical and social aspects, yet engineering education focuses on technical training and closed‐ended problems. To prepare engineering students, curricula should foster sociotechnical thinking—the ability to consider the interplay of technical and social factors during problem solving. Although educational interventions in this area show promise, further insight into the benefits of interdisciplinary interventions is warranted, particularly with treatment and control group designs. Purpose We examine the effect of a Humanities‐Informed Engineering Projects (HIEP) course on students' sociotechnical thinking development. Method We compared the sociotechnical thinking development of engineering students who took the HIEP course with those who did not, assessing performance at the beginning and end of the semester using a scenario‐based assessment. We collected data over 2 years from 70 students (38 treatment, 32 control). We used a triangulated approach to assess students' sociotechnical thinking through quantitative scoring, thematic analysis of problem‐related considerations, and coding of students' explanations. Results Students in the course began the semester with enhanced sociotechnical thinking skills and experienced more development over the semester than those not in the course. They experienced increased development in their consideration of People and the Broader Context when solving problems and greater growth in an integrated approach to sociotechnical thinking. Conclusion Humanities‐informed engineering education leads to sociotechnical thinking development. We suggest curricular activities that may enhance sociotechnical thinking.

  PublisherDOI

• Dining on language and culture: mealtime conversations with host families as learning opportunities during study abroad

  Language and Intercultural Communication · 2025-02-19 · 1 citations

  articleCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• A scoping review of L2 pragmatics development during study abroad in the Spanish-speaking world

  Journal of Spanish Language Teaching · 2025-07-03

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The effect of extralinguistic variables on verb selection in Italian requests

  Journal of Politeness Research · 2024-08-13 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Politeness relies on interlocutors’ frames, which are cognitive concepts that include a linguistic expression and extralinguistic variables. Politeness research has highlighted the importance of extralinguistic variables on speakers’ linguistic choices. Despite many studies that touch on these topics, questions about the comparative importance of contextual variables and the joint effect of them on speakers’ utterances remain unanswered. To examine these questions, a quantitative approach using a conditional inference tree was employed to investigate the influence of power, distance, and imposition on the use of verb forms in requests in Italian. Verb forms were selected as the dependent variable because they are essential for performing speech acts and they can be placed on a politeness continuum. Considering the importance and hierarchical relationship of the predictor variables of power, distance, and imposition, the results indicated that the three variables were predictors of verb form. While power was the main predictor, the effect of distance and imposition depended on whether the other variables were considered, showing a varying and complex effect of contextual variables. The findings enhance the understanding of Italian politeness, and represent the complex calculations that speakers make when selecting linguistic forms by considering interacting contextual variables.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Effects of a Humanities-Based Engineering Course on Engineering Students’ Sociotechnical Thinking

  2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  ContextAs the world becomes connected and globalized, engineering problems become more complex and multi-dimensional.To solve these problems, engineers require sociotechnical thinking, which involves addressing both the technical and contextual aspects of a problem and understanding the interconnections between these considerations.However, engineering programs traditionally emphasize technical thinking, resulting in a lack of sociotechnical thinking during problem-solving. Purpose or GoalHumanities-informed engineering education is one pedagogical approach that has shown promise in supporting engineering students' development of sociotechnical thinking skills.Our study explored how enrollment in a one-semester humanities-informed engineering course is related to the development of sociotechnical thinking. MethodsWe administered the Energy Conversion Playground (ECP), a scenario-based assessment of sociotechnical thinking, to three groups at the start and end of the semester: students in the humanitiesinformed engineering course, other students from engineering majors, and students from humanities majors.Students' performance on each dimension of the ECP (Technology, People, and Broader Context) was compared using a 3x2 mixed ANOVA design. OutcomesOur results reveal that students enrolled in the course were more likely to discuss social considerations compared to the two groups not enrolled in the course.Students in the course also improved over the semester in their discussion of social and contextual considerations while the other two groups did not. ConclusionsThe results of the study indicate that interdisciplinary training in humanities and engineering can help engineering students engage in sociotechnical thinking during problem-solving.Moreover, the results for the engineering control group reiterate previous findings that there may be a lack of emphasis on social and contextual aspects in traditional engineering education.Therefore, future research should focus on development of pedagogical frameworks and assessments on sociotechnical thinking.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• WIP: Comparing Engineering and Humanities Student Approaches to Complex Problem Solving

  2024-10-13

  article

  This work-in-progress research paper contributes new insights into the qualitative differences in conceptualization and problem-solving approaches between engineering and humanities students in a scenario-based complex problem. We interviewed 14 undergraduate students at Purdue University, comparing their levels of complexity in conceptualization and problem-solving approaches. The first round of coding suggested that students' academic disciplines had some impact on the complexity of their problem-solving approaches. We are currently conducting a second round of indepth analysis to understand what types of educational experiences encourage systems thinking. The results can inform the development of engineering courses that aim to develop systems thinking.

  PublisherDOI

• L2 discourse marker use in interaction: The case of <i>pues</i> in Spanish

  Foreign Language Annals · 2024-09-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract While discourse markers (DMs) are crucial for coherence and interactional competence, previous research suggests that learners' usage of DMs differs from L1 speakers. Prior research has taken either a discourse‐functional or interactional approach, yet combining these two methods may provide greater understanding of the unique learner communicative needs that drive the acquisition and use of DMs. This investigation contributes to research on interlanguage DM use by quantitatively investigating the frequency and functional distribution of the Spanish DM pues by L2 and L1 speakers of Spanish from a discourse‐functional perspective and qualitatively examining pues as an interactional resource. Oral interviews with 58 L2 and 14 L1 speakers of Spanish were analyzed, revealing distinct frequency and distributional patterns across groups and unique L2 interactional needs that are supported with the DM pues . Results inform L2 learners and teachers of the importance of DMs for interactions and provide classroom implications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Complementary Principle and language dominance: mapping the language–domain relationships of Spanish–English bilinguals

  Multilingua · 2024-12-23

  articleSenior author

  Abstract While language dominance has been crucial in the study of bilingualism, recent research has called for more detailed measures to systematically account for the observation that bilinguals use different languages in different domains, a phenomenon formalized in the Complementary Principle. Few studies have systematically measured these language–domain relationships. Addressing these gaps, this study employs a novel, mixed-methods approach to identify the links between domain (i.e., topic) and language and to examine the effect of language dominance on language–domain relationships. Spanish–English bilinguals in the U.S. ( N = 443) responded to open-ended prompts about the topics they discuss in each of their two languages and when code-switching. A qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify relevant topic categories and examine the relationships between topic and language. Subsequent analysis examined variability in language-domain mappings of bilinguals from across the language dominance continuum. Results showed that Spanish was most associated with topics of family and day-to-day life and English with academics and work. Little differentiation in language–domain mappings was found between English-dominant, Spanish-dominant, and balanced bilinguals. Findings are discussed with a focus on the methodological contributions and the implications for integrating the Complementary Principle in measures of language dominance.

  PublisherDOI

• A Comparison of Two Scenario-Based Assessments of Systems Thinking

  2024-02-06 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Engineers face complex and multidisciplinary problems in the modern work environment.To understand and solve these complex problems, engineers require systems thinking skills that allow them to consider the interconnected technical and contextual factors.Therefore, it is important to provide engineering students with opportunities to develop these skills during their education.A part of this process is developing assessment approaches that can help instructors measure students' systems thinking ability.A variety of approaches have been used in the literature to assess the development of systems thinking, including surveys, interviews, design projects, and scenario-based instruments.Scenario-based assessments can offer a more in-depth view of student learning than typical surveys while also being faster to analyze than open-ended data such as interviews.However, a range of scenario-based assessments that are available claim to assess similar skills, making it challenging to identify which fits the needs of a particular educational context.To help address this challenge, we compared two scenario-based assessments: the Village of Abeesee scenario [1] and the Energy Conversion Playground (ECP) design task [2], to understand concepts of systems thinking emphasized by each instrument and how students' scores on the assessments are related.The participants in this study were 19 undergraduate engineering students enrolled in an interdisciplinary humanities-based engineering course in Spring 2021.We administered both scenario-based assessments at the start and end of the semester to examine the change in students' scores over time.We then compared the assessment results from each instrument by examining average scores for each of the systems thinking dimensions and also individual total scores on each assessment.Lastly, we compared the experience of scoring the assessments from the perspective of the instructor or researcher using the assessment.Based on our findings, we make recommendations about when an instructor might choose to use one assessment or the other.Our results can inform future research and assessment projects that aim to assess students' systems thinking skills by comparing both student outcomes and instructor experience for these scenario-based assessments.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Contextual Variables as Predictors of Verb Form: An Analysis of Gender and Stance in Peninsular Spanish Requests

  Languages · 2023-08-29 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The current experiment employs a variational pragmatics perspective to explore how the contextual variables of power, distance, and imposition jointly affect social groups’ and individuals’ choice of verb forms in requests in Madrid, Spain. Using a mixed-method approach to explore the requests of 111 Spanish speakers from Madrid, quantitative analyses determined the level of significance and hierarchical order of the predictor variables of power, distance, and imposition on verb form and also the distribution of verb forms by gender, with male and female participants exhibiting significant differences. Additionally, certain participants demonstrated decreased sensitivity to contextual factors, adopting more categorically indirect or direct request strategies. The examination of both gendered request patterns and the stances that single participants adopt through their verb-form selections contributes to our understanding of the social moves that are made by all speakers, not just those who fall within the gendered norms. The results highlight the different frames and social meanings attached to these forms at the micro- and macro-social levels, providing new insight into the complex relationship among linguistic variables, contextual factors, and social groups and individuals.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kirsten Davis

  Purdue University System

  5 shared

• Rachel Showstack

  5 shared

• Daniel J. Olson

  Purdue University System

  4 shared

• Alejandro Cuza

  Purdue University System

  4 shared

• Siddhant Sanjay Joshi

  4 shared

• Bridget Gorokhovsky

  3 shared

• Judith E. Liskin‐Gasparro

  3 shared

• Sydney Dickerson

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  3 shared

Education

• Ph.D. Hispanic Linguistics

  University of Texas

  2010

• M.A. Linguistics

  University of Illinois

  2005

• B.A. Spanish and Finance

  University of Illinois

  2002