Martha Nyikos has won the prestigious Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education in World Languages, given yearly to one outstanding educator in foreign language education at the university level by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Nyikos was additionally honored by the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) for impactful research publications. Nyikos is Associate Professor and coordinator of World Languages and English as a New Language education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

ACTFL’s Excellence in Teacher Education Award in World Languages was established in 1987 to recognize an awardee’s record of transformative leadership and significant contributions to the field.

“As a language teacher educator, this award is a tribute to generations of my preservice language teachers who have entered the profession from the IU School of Education and their cooperating teachers who help accomplish our mission of helping translate research into practice,” Nyikos said. “I particularly prize the trust and confidence of our teacher candidates whose optimism and can-do spirit are force multipliers during this time of uncertainty.”

That same optimism propels Nyikos’ own advocacy for indigenous, minority and world languages.  In addition to the national award from ACTFL, her research was recently honored by the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) at their annual conference.

The Tom Alsop Distinguished World Language Research Award considers the quality of publications in light of their far-reaching international impact on the field of foreign language education.  Award reviewers cited Nyikos' “groundbreaking research in language learning strategies coupled with her teaching of preservice and practicing teachers,” as well as “her unwavering, sustained service to the profession through her commitment and advocacy for second language learning, bilingual education and heritage language preservation.”

Nyikos’ background deeply informs much of her research: “As the child of refugees in a family of six children, I was keenly aware of cultural, linguistic and individual differences and issues of social justice, inequality, poverty and the need for understanding and inclusivity. I am most passionate about the need for strong communicative competence in an additional language and the role it plays in advocacy— a view I bring to all my teaching. Bringing a multilingual and multicultural view optimizes the chances for inclusivity and multiliteracies, making our teachers globally competent in an increasingly interconnected world.”

Nyikos is continuing her research and advocacy for heritage language maintenance and strategic dual language immersion programs that promote multiliteracy for transformational learning and teaching.  Her central focus is to enable teachers to recognize the value of learning a language for equitable heath care, diplomacy, economic access and ease of communication.