Faculty

Kay Gallagher holds academic qualifications from the University of Kent in the UK (PhD), Trinity College, the University of Dublin (MEd), National University of Ireland (BEd, 1^st class hons), the University of Melbourne (PGCert), Trinity College, London (DipTESOL), and the University of British Columbia (SoTL Leadership). Kay is also a Senior Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Her research interests lie in teacher education, English education, bilingual education, and learning and teaching. She has led, developed, and delivered teacher education and development programs in various higher education institutions in the UAE in roles as chair, head of department, associate dean, and acting dean.

She was a faculty member and master’s program coordinator in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. Early in her career, Kay was principal of an innovative school in her native Ireland. Her edited book, Education in the UAE: Innovation and transformation (2019), provides insights into the transformed educational landscape of the Emirates in recent years, and was co-authored with leading UAE-based educational researcher-practitioners.

• Gallagher, K. & Jones, W. (2023). EMI in the Arab Gulf states: Strategies needed to support the realization of governmental visions for 2030 and beyond. In M. Wyatt & G. El Gamal (Eds.). English as a medium of instruction on the Arabian Peninsula. Routledge.
• Gallagher, K. (2022). Language arts curricula in Ireland. In H. Taha Thomure & M. Al-Batal (Eds.) Arabic language curricula in the Arabic world: Current challenges and future horizons. Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center.
• Gallagher, K. & Dillon, A. (2022). Teacher education and EMI in the UAE and Arabian Peninsula - Past, present and future perspectives. In D. Coelho & T. Steinhagen (Eds.). Plurilingual pedagogy in the Arabian Peninsula: Transforming and empowering students and teachers. Routledge.
• Al-Bataineh, A. & Gallagher, K. (2021). Attitudes towards translanguaging: How future teachers perceive the meshing of Arabic and English in children’s storybooks, International journal of bilingual education and bilingualism, 24(3).
• Dillon, A., Chell, G., Grey, I., Gallagher, K. & Moussa-Inaty, J. (2021). English medium instruction and the potential of translanguaging practices in higher education. Translation and translanguaging in multilingual contexts,7 (2), 153-176.
• Gallagher, K. (2020). Early childhood language education in the UAE. In M. Schwartz (ed.) International handbook of early language learning. Springer.
• Gallagher, K. (2019). Challenges and opportunities in sourcing, preparing, and developing a teaching force for the UAE. In K. Gallagher (Ed.) Education in the UAE: Innovation and transformation. Springer.
• Gallagher, K. & Al-Bataineh, A. (2019). An investigation into the linguistic landscape of translingual storybooks for Arabic-English bilingual children. Journal of multilingual and multicultural development.
• Gallagher, K. (2019). Student voice: perceptions of fair treatment in a Foundations program. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 11(1), 129-145.