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Katherine Rehner

Professor, Linguistics
Language Studies

Graduate Appointment: Graduate Program in Language & Literacies Education, OISE

Katherine was born and raised in Toronto and has always been interested in why speakers say things the way they do, particularly in a second language. This interest in the nature of authentic oral discourse led her to the field of educational sociolinguistics, where she studies the development of sociolinguistic competence by first and second language speakers of French. Katherine enjoys dancing, music, and spending time with her family.

Current Courses

Fall/Winter 2024-25:

  • JFL454 (Teaching and Learning Varieties of Canadian French)
  • LIN380/LTL380 (Theoretical Issues in Second Language Teaching and Learning)
  • LIN486/LTL486 (Teaching and Learning Cross-Cultural Communication)

Graduate Course

  • CTL3025 (Educational Sociolinguistics)

Education

  • PhD, Second Language Education, OISE, University of Toronto 
  • MEd, Language, Culture, & Teaching, York University 
  • BA Hons, French, Glendon College, York University
  • BEd, French and Geography, York University 

Areas of Teaching and Research Interests

  • Educational sociolinguistics 
  • Canadian French 
  • Discourse analysis 
  • Second language confidence and proficiency 
  • CEFR-informed language teaching 
  • Cross-cultural communication 

Selected Publications

Book

  • Mougeon, R., Nadasdi, T., & Rehner, K. (2010). The sociolinguistic competence of immersion students. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters. 

Articles & Book Chapters

  • Rehner, K., & Lasan, I. (2023). Developing second language learners’ sociolinguistic competence: How teachers’ CEFR-related professional learning aligns with learner-identified needs. Education Sciences, 13, 282–298. 
  • Mougeon, R., Rehner, K., & Mougeon, F. (2022). Participation in (non-)salient linguistics change over the lifespan: An examination of panel speakers’ life stories. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 26(2), 265–286. 
  • Rehner, K., & Mougeon, R. (2022). Variationist methods of analysis. In K. Geeslin (Ed.), Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Sociolinguistics (pp. 200–211). Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. 

Other

  • Council of Ministers of Education, Canada & Rehner, K. (2020). I Can Speak French! Increasing the Oral Proficiency of Second Language Learners of French. Toronto: Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. (http://icanspeakfrench.ca/) 
  • Rehner, K. (2018). The Classroom Practices of DELF Teacher-Correctors: A Pan-Canadian Perspective. Research Report. Ottawa, ON: Association Canadienne des Professionnels d’Immersion. 

Selected Grants, Fellowships and Awards 

  • Ministry of Colleges and Universities’ Award of Excellence (Nominated), 2022 
  • Private School Grant, 2022–2024, Implementing CEFR-informed FSL Programing
  • Private School Grant, 2021–2023, Reorienting FSL Programing to the CEFR  
  • SSHRC Insight Grant, Co-investigator, 2020–2025, Adult Language Learning in a Transnational Context: Towards a Migrant-Centric View of Translingual Agency and Social Integration
  • Ontario Ministry of Education, Principal Investigator, 2016–2017, The Impact of CEFR/DELF Professional Learning on FSL Teachers’ Classroom Practice
  • University of Toronto Mississauga Teaching Excellence Award (Winner), 2015 
  • Ontario Ministry of Education, Principal Investigator, 2013–2014, French as a Second Language Student Proficiency and Confidence Pilot Project
  • SSHRC Standard Grant, Principal Investigator, 2011–2015, Developing the Sociolinguistic Knowledge Base of Students and Teachers of French as a Second Language