Although my training includes various aspects of linguistic theory and
analysis, principles of second language acquisition, and implications for
language teaching and teacher preparation, I focus primarily on social and cultural
aspects of language learning, teaching, and use. My dissertation research deals with the relationships between emergent bilingualism,
biliteracy, and identity construction for early adolescents from various
linguistic backgrounds studying Arabic. My prior investigation involved digital literacy,
analyzing intercultural communication in the context of computer-supported
collaborative learning using grounded theory and corpus-based approaches.
I also hope to study the role of culture and intercultural competence in
language teacher practices and preparation, particularly in regard to
less-commonly taught languages (LCTLs), as well as cognitive aspects of
literacy in multiple orthographies.