Ahmed K. Junina

I started my teaching career in the UK in 2010 when I was doing an MA in Arabic/English translation with interpreting. I then returned to Palestine and worked as a lecturer at the Department of English, al-Aqsa University. In 2015, I moved to New Zealand to embark on a PhD study at Auckland University of Technology, where I also worked as a research assistant. After obtaining the Cambridge CELTA in 2018, I re-engaged in ESOL teaching in New Zealand. In 2019, I graduated with a PhD in applied linguistics from AUT focusing on academic literacies at the tertiary level. My PhD thesis has been awarded the prize for the best PhD thesis in 2019 by the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand (ALANZ). I then worked at the University of Auckland English Language Academy, New Zealand, where I taught Academic English, General English, and IELTS Preparation courses. I have taught students from 19 different nationalities. Currently, I am the Head of the English Department, al-Aqsa University, Palestine where I am also an assistant professor of Applied Linguistics. 

Research interests

My research interests include: academic writing; translanguaging; L1 transfer; translation studies; the impact of pathway and IELTS preparation courses on international students' readiness for tertiary study; and intercultural communication