Dr. Asmaa Shehata is a member of the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Mississippi. She teaches with the Arabic Language Flagship Program.
Research Interests
Dr. Asmaa Shehata's research encompasses three main areas: second language (L2) phonology and pronunciation instruction, the acquisition of literacy language skills, and the analysis of gender in relation to religion.
In the realm of L2 phonology, a major theme of her research is exploring how L2 learners perceive and produce novel contrastive sounds that differ from those of their native language. She specifically focuses on how these sound contrasts impact accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility. Her research additionally explores innovative approaches to teaching pronunciation, identifying successful strategies that assist students in overcoming phonetic challenges and improving their ability to communicate. It also looks at the role of study abroad programs and feedback techniques from peers or teachers.
Second, her research looks at how literacy language skills, including writing and reading, develop, pointing out common errors and useful strategies for instruction.
Third, her interdisciplinary research on the relationship between religion and gender investigates how religious traditions impact gender roles and identity in Arabic cultural contexts.
Biography
Dr. Asmaa Shehata earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics at Ohio University and the University of Utah. Her second MA was in Religious Studies with specialization Women’s Studies at the University of Ottawa. She has previously held positions at esteemed North American universities, including the University of Notre Dame, Washington and Lee University and the University of Calgary. Dr. Shehata is the current Editor in Chief for the Journal of National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (JNCOLCTL) and reviews manuscripts for many academic journals like International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Foreign Language Annals (FLA) and Language Learning and Technology (LLT). She is also a certified Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) tester of Arabic through the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Books
2025 "Mastering Modern Standard Arabic idioms: 140 expressions in context for intermediate to advanced Learners," Cairo: American University in Cairo Press. ISBN10: 1649034210ISBN13: 9781649034212.
2023 “Women’s rights in Islam: A critique of Nawal El Saadawi’s writing,” Berlin: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111105314-001.
2016 “When Variability Matters in Second Language Word Learning,” Saarbrücken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
Peer-Reviewed Articles and Chapters
2026 “Arabic speech intelligibility: Perception of spoken Arabic by native and non-native speakers,” Language Teaching Research, 30(7), 3644-3659. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688241231628.
2024 “Arabic pronunciation instruction: Learner cognition and speech comprehensibility,” Journal of Second Language Pronunciation,10(2), 179-203. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.23015.she.
2024 [co-authored with Amaya Martin] “Writing errors: The case of English learners of Arabic,” The Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 15(2), 181-203. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14789950.
2024 “Learners’ perceptions of Arabic consonant contrasts: Gender and learning-context effects,” Languages 2024, 9(3), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9030077.
2023 “Corrective Feedback on Arabic Pronunciation: Teacher Beliefs and Practices,” in R.I. Thomson, T. M. Derwing, J. M. Levis, & K. Hiebert (Eds.), Proceedings of the 13th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, held June 2022 at Brock University, St.Catharines, ON. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/psllt.15714.
2021 “Short vowels and context effects: The case of English speakers reading Arabic,” International Education Studies, 14(8), 93–103.
2018 “Native English Speakers’ Perception and Production of Arabic Consonants,” in M. T. Alhawary (Ed.), Handbook of Arabic Second Language Acquisition (pp. 56–69). New York, NY: Routledge.
2017 “Teaching Arabic pronunciation to non-natives: Cognition, practice, and outcomes,” in M.O’Brian & J. Levis (Eds). Proceedings of the 8th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, ISSN 2380-9566, Calgary, AB, August 2016 (pp. 110–120). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.
2015 “Talker Variability and Second Language Word Recognition: A new training study,” Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 6(2), 209-230.
2015 “Problematic Arabic consonants for native English speakers: learners’ perspectives,” The International Journal of Educational Investigations, 2(9), 24-47.
2015 [co-authored with Alla Zareva] “At the intersection of L1 congruence and L2 exposure: Collocational knowledge of advanced Arab users of English," International Journal of Arabic-English Studies (IJAES), 15, 89-115.
Courses Taught
- Arab 111 Intensive Elementary Arabic I
- Arab 112 Intensive Elementary Arabic II
- Arab 211 Intensive Elementary Arabic III
- Arab 212 Intensive Elementary Arabic IV
- Arab 311 Intensive Elementary Arabic V
- Arab 312 Intensive Elementary Arabic VI
- Arab 317 Egyptian Arabic I
- Arab 318 Egyptian Arabic II
- Arab 361 Arabic Language Through Cinema
- Arab 411 Media Arabic
- Arab 417 Egyptian Arabic III
- Arab 418 Egyptian Arabic IV
- Arab 450 Pulse of the Arab World: Contemporary Issues
- Arab 511 Introduction to Arabic Literature
- Arab 514 Arabic Literature
Education
M.A. Religious Studies, University of Ottawa (2021)
Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Utah (2013)
M.A. Linguistics, Ohio University (2008)
Recognitions
- Chancellor's Award for Research and Creative Scholarship in the area of Arts and Humanities, University of Mississipp, April 2026
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), 2018
- Teaching and Learning Grants, University of Calgary, 2015, 2016
- Award for Excellence in Linguistics, University of Utah, 2012
- The Middle East Center Language Award in Hebrew, University of Utah, 2011
- Fulbright Graduate Scholarship, Fulbright Program, 2006-2008