Diana Fidaoui, Ph.D.

Syracuse University, Teaching and Leadership, Department Member

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Publications by Diana Fidaoui, Ph.D.

CALL in Lebanese elementary ESL writing classrooms

by Diana Fidaoui, Ph.D. and Nahla Bacha

Computer Assisted Language Learning , 2010

This article discusses the effectiveness of using computer assisted language learning (CALL) in m... more This article discusses the effectiveness of using computer assisted language learning (CALL) in motivating fourth-grade English as a second language (ESL) students to develop better writing skills. It also seeks to explore the perceptions of ESL teachers and students regarding the use of CALL in the ESL classroom. The study involved 48 fourth graders and their four teachers. Data were gathered during a three-month period using questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Findings revealed that teachers as well as students shared similar perceptions toward the use of CALL in the writing classroom and identified the same motivational factors that would encourage students to produce well-developed written work. Additional work on the productive integration of computer technology in the writing classroom and its effects on motivating students to produce work of high quality is recommended.

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Men's talk in a Lebanese shisha café

Journal of Multicultural Discourses , 2013

This qualitative study explores the relationship between gender identity and conversatio... more This qualitative study explores the relationship between gender identity and conversational behavior in all-male groups’ interactions in a Lebanese context. We collected the data through non-participant observations and interviews with 15 participants in a shisha cafe ́, and we examined the verbal and nonverbal behaviors of the men there. Results of the analysis of participants’ verbal and nonverbal behaviors clearly indicate that men, in all-male groups, attempt to use different conversational strategies (e.g. politeness strategies) and different nonverbal cues (e.g. laughing, frowning) in order to maintain power relations and establish solidarity within the group. The research findings are substantial since they highlight how men’s functions of different conversational styles reflect their powerful status within all-male Lebanese society.

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Speaking Self-Efficacy in the AFL Classroom

Academic Exchange Quarterly, 2015

To become proficient in the target language, adult Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) learners wh... more To become proficient in the target language, adult Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) learners who engage in AFL programs need to develop their speaking skills, besides listening, reading, and writing. We believe that the instructional mode through which some U.S. universities offer introductory and intermediate AFL courses is one that does not focus on developing students’ speaking skills. As a result, students’ speaking self-efficacy remains low to average, a fact that can negatively affect their attitudes vis à vis learning the target language.

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