Dr. Deanna Friesen

Associate Professor

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Biography

Deanna Friesen is an Associate Professor and Chair in the Faculty of Education at Western University. Her research focuses on bilingual language development, reading comprehension, and reading disabilities. She investigates the cognitive processes involved in bilingualism, including impacts on word recognition and sentence processing. Using behavioral, eye-tracking, and neural measures, her work has explored effective strategies for supporting reading comprehension in diverse populations including bilingual children and English Language Learners. She aims to identify characteristics that distinguish successful bilingual readers from their peers while also examining teacher engagement in inclusive education. With numerous publications in prestigious journals, Friesen's contributions have significantly advanced the understanding of bilingual education and literacy development. She is actively involved in mentoring students in both MA and PhD programs and overseeing honor's thesis courses at her department.

Research Interests

Courses

Mind Brain Education Evidence-based Interventions in Schools Academic Learning for Students with Exceptionalities Special Education Inclusion Cognitive Academic Interventions

Requirements for Western University

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.3
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:6
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:86
Prerequisites
Four-year degree, honours or the equivalent, in anthropology or equivalent background in social sciences.
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Two academic references
  • Sample of written work (15-20 pages)
  • Statement of academic intent
  • Transcripts
  • CV (optional)
Specialization Notes

Streams include Archaeology and Bioarchaeology, and Sociocultural Anthropology.