Dr. Faidra Faitaki

Biography

Faidra Faitaki is a Departmental Lecturer in Language Acquisition and the Course Director for the MSc Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching (ALLT) at the University of Oxford's Department of Education. She founded and convenes the Creative Approaches to Teaching English (CreATE) Group, exploring the relationship between language learning and the arts. Her research focuses on the linguistic, cognitive, and educational factors that underpin preschool-aged children's acquisition of the English language, particularly how children's existing knowledge of language affects their developmental trajectory. Faitaki is currently engaged in designing and implementing a drama-based intervention aimed at enhancing young children's oral language communication skills. In addition to her current role, she received her BA in Linguistics from University College London (UCL) and her MSc in Applied Linguistics & Language Acquisition, followed by a DPhil in Education from the University of Oxford. Faitaki also holds a CELTA from UCL’s Centre for Languages in International Education and has substantial teaching experience with both adults and children in diverse educational settings. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and welcomes doctoral applications, particularly from students interested in topics such as cross-linguistic transfer in early language acquisition and creative pedagogies in pre-primary school settings.

Research Interests