Zana Ibrahim, PhD

Introduction

Dr. Zana Ibrahim is the Dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr. He holds a PhD in English from the University of Nottingham in the UK, and an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He is a former recipient of Fulbright Scholarship sponsored by the US Department of State. Dr. Ibrahim has been actively involved in teaching English to a variety of student populations and levels both in Kurdistan and abroad. Previously, he has taught courses in academic reading and writing, translation and interpretation, language acquisition, applied linguistics, TESOL, materials development and syllabus design, and research methods at a number of universities in Kurdistan. His research interests lie mainly in the area of second language acquisition and pedagogy, applied linguistics, second language motivation, complexity theory, and positive affect. He is the co-theorist of the directed motivational currents concept and has co-authored the first publication on the construct.

Education

• - PhD Applied Linguistics, University of Nottingham, UK, 2016
• - MA in TESOL, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2007
• - BA in English Language & Literature, Salahaddin University, Erbil, 2004

Research

Dr. Zana Ibrahim’s research interests are second language motivation, second language learning and pedagogy, second language affect, and English as a lingua franca. Dr. Ibrahim contributed to the theorization of the concept of directed motivational current and has published on the motivational phenomenon. He has also supervised research theses on self-regulated learning, second language emotion, and reflective practices in English teaching.