Mahmoud Abdi Tabari
Teaching Assistant Professor in Writing Studies and Applied Linguistics
My research focuses on instructed second language acquisition, task-based language teaching, and multilingual and second language writing.
Research, teaching & curiosity.
I earned my Ph.D. in English, with a major focus on TESL, from Oklahoma State University. I joined UNR in 2022, after one year at Santa Clara University and three years as a full-time lecturer at the University of Virginia.
Away from work, I am an adamant football (soccer) fan and enjoy playing in my free time.
More about meLatest news
Roundtable on engagement in task-based language teaching
Dr. Abdi Tabari took part in the roundtable “Engagement in task-based language teaching” (chair: S. Mercer), hosted online by the Psychology of Task-Based Language Teaching Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL).
New edited volume: Cognition in L2 Writing
Cognition in L2 Writing: Connecting theory, methodology, research, and pedagogy, edited by Mahmoud Abdi Tabari and Ronald P. Leow, is published by Routledge (2026).
AAAL 2026, Chicago
Two contributions at the AAAL 2026 Conference: a two-hour colloquium, “Proactive Language Learning: Conceptualization and Measurement” (with Z. Huang), and a paper on developing pre-service teachers’ language assessment literacy through practicums (with A. Kushki and A. N. Cox).
Ideas in print.
Edited volumes
Abdi Tabari, M., & Leow, R. P. (Eds.). (2026). Cognition in L2 Writing: Connecting theory, methodology, research, and pedagogy. Routledge.
Johnson, M. D., & Abdi Tabari, M. (Eds.). (2025). Cognitive task complexity and second language performance: Understanding L2 learner affect and engagement. Routledge.
Recent articles
- Leow, R., & Abdi Tabari, M. (Eds.). (2026). TBLT in the L2 classroom: A cognitive-processing approach. System, 104174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2026.104174
- Abdi Tabari, M., & Golparvar, S. E. (2026). How task types shape lexical sophistication in L2 learner writing. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research. https://doi.org/10.1075/ijlcr.25024.abd
- Abdi Tabari, M., Rahmati, P., & Huang, Z. (2026). Patterns of learner engagement with generative AI in English writing: Cognitive effort and critical thinking. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2026.2730676
- Abdi Tabari, M., Golparvar, S. E., Lu, X., & Hu, R. (2026). Task complexity and repetition effects on sense-aware lexical sophistication: An extension of Abdi Tabari et al.’s (2025) study on L1 and L2 learners. Journal of Second Language Studies. https://doi.org/10.1075/jsls.25020.abd
- Abdi Tabari, M., & Huang, Z. (2026). Examining the role of interindividual and intraindividual variability in syntactic complexity development across repeated independent and integrated writing tasks. Applied Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amag080
What drives my research.
- Task design, task characteristics, and task sequencing
- Cognition in academic writing
- Complexity, accuracy, lexis, and fluency in academic writing
- Individual differences
- Written corrective feedback
- Mixed-methods research designs and analyses
Let’s work together.
Talks, seminars, workshops, and research collaborations in language learning and writing.