Dalia Cohen

Profile

I completed my first degree in German and Philosophy at the University of St Andrews in 2015, and subsequently gained a PGCE in Modern Foreign Languages from Oxford University in 2016. After spending some time teaching MFL in secondary schools, I returned to higher education to undertake a master’s degree in International Education Policy and Leadership at the University of Leeds. My master’s dissertation research focused on the transition experiences of undergraduate students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds at a Russell Group university.

Since 2019, I have been teachng on pre-sessional EAP (English for Academic Purposes) courses at  the University of Leeds. As a result of this, my interest in the student exprience became focused on international students, and particularly in how international students develop academic literacy when navigating a new academic environment. My teaching experience in this area drew my attention to the particular challenges such students face when attempting to display critical thinking in their written assignments, as this is an unfamiliar concept for many of them. This inspired me to pursue a PhD in this area and in 2023, I was delighted to be awared the University of Leeds School of Education Research Scholarship which has enabled me to do this.

Research interests

My PhD research focuses on the projection of textual authority in academic writing. In particular, I am interested in the written assignments of Chinese master’s students in the UK and to what extent their projection of authority develops during their year of master’s studies. The research will be longitudinal and qualitative in nature and will utilise a novel framework for analysis of student texts, which considers the following aspects: 1) the way students construct written argument 2) the way students negotiate their argument in the context of a disciplinary conversation 3) The way students position themselves in relation to the argument and how they project an authorial voice in their writing. I argue that all three aspects are interrealated and are pertinent to explaining textual authority.

Qualifications

• MA International Education Policy and Leadership (University of Leeds, Distinction)
• PGCE Modern Foreign Languages (Oxford University)
• BA German and Philosophy (University of St Andrews, 2.1)