Browsing by Author "White, Cynthia"

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'But we're just the same humans as you' : refugees negotiating exclusions, belonging and language in Sweden and New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2025-01-28) Svensson, Hanna Lena Katrin
Refugee settlement is a complex process requiring the navigation of new linguistic and social spaces and the renegotiation of belonging and identity. The process can also be complicated by the contested nature of national belonging and the politicisation of social cohesion, as well as by forms of everyday exclusion. Drawing on a Bakhtinian dialogical framework, this study used qualitative data from interviews with language teachers, settlement support workers and refugee-background residents in New Zealand and Sweden to investigate dimensions of belonging, social cohesion, and language in relation to refugee settlement. The study sought to discover how belonging and social cohesion are perceived and experienced by refugee-background residents in these contexts, how they are promoted by the two settlement nations, and how they are operationalised in political and public discourse to enforce boundaries and construct national and refugee identities. Of particular interest was the intersection of public discourse and lived experience, and the tensions and contestations that may arise in these spaces. Language learning and use were seen as crucial aspects of belonging and social cohesion and were investigated both in terms of linguistic inequalities in the settlement location and in terms of the unique language learning journeys of adult learners. The findings suggest that there are significant gaps in the understanding of refugee experiences among policy makers and that discursive representations of refugees, particularly in terms of social cohesion and belonging, often impact negatively on the settlement process. The politicisation of belonging and the appropriation of social cohesion discourses as tools for differentiation, and potentially exclusion, can have negative impacts on individuals’ rights and settlement prospects while reductive representations of refugees lead to unrealistic expectations in terms of language acquisition and labour market participation and to restrictive policies that hinder the settlement process. The thesis concludes by arguing that in order to strengthen social cohesion and belonging, it is imperative that refugees are included as dialogical partners, practically and ideologically. It identifies theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the research and raises further questions in relation to gender, language acquisition, incentivisation and dialogical practice in the context of refugee settlement.
The dynamics of willingness to communicate in synchronous Chinese online language teaching and learning : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2023) Huang, Huan
While there has been growing academic attention to researching the dynamics in willingness to communicate (WTC), the variability in learners’ WTC over different timescales has remained relatively under-researched, particularly in online language learning contexts. Although research on the dynamics of WTC has largely drawn from the learners’ perspectives, little attention has been paid to individual learners’ WTC by focusing on the perceptions of both the teachers and the learners. This study was carried out in a one-to-one Chinese language learning videoconferencing setting, where one tutor was partnered with one learner (four pairs in total) undertaking five or ten sessions, each lasting 20 minutes. This Synchronous Chinese Online Language Teaching (SCOLT) project, jointly offered by Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) and Massey University (MU), was purposefully built to support adult distance language learners of Chinese in New Zealand in experiencing learner-centred, personalised language learning in online environments. The study aims to explore the unique experience of each learner and to understand their WTC in Chinese (WTCC) across different timescales, including over single interactions, single sessions, and a series of sessions. Taking into account multidimensional factors affecting learners’ WTCC, the tutors’ and learners’ perceptions across different timescales were also examined. Informed by Complex Dynamic System Theory (CDST), this study employed a qualitative longitudinal case study research design. Multiple methods were applied for data collection, including the idiodynamic method, the experience sampling method (ESM), journals, the Session-based WTCC scales, stimulated recalls based on the learning session recordings, and a pre-session questionnaire. In order to portray insights about WTCC within each dyad, this study also conducted the idiodynamic method with the tutors to collect their views about their learners’ WTCC during communicative activities. Findings suggest how learners’ WTCC on multiple timescales fluctuated during Chinese language communication activities. Learners’ WTCC changed and stabilised over time, emerging from their interactions with the tutors, and the online environment. Furthermore, the dynamic and non-linear nature of learners’ WTCC also appeared in micro timescales, such as minutes and seconds, which were influenced by the complex interplay of the individual (learners’ self-perceived communicative competence, negative and positive emotions); the situational (topic-related factors, tutor-related variables, and the multimodality); and learners’ agency to reinforce or resist the impacts of the factors at a specific time. The four learners showed quite different dynamics in WTCC, highlighting the uniqueness of individuals and the inherent complexity of WTCC systems. In addition, tutors’ and learners’ perceptions of learners’ WTCC became more consistent over time with a desire to build and maintain the relationship and to select communication topics convergent with learners’ communication needs. However, the respective ratings did not always match due to the complex and dynamic nature of learners’ WTCC. This study contributes to the literature in the field of learners’ WTC research by extending our understanding of the dynamics of learners’ WTCC in online Chinese language learning context. Based on the findings, this study has implications for research methodology and theoretical frames, shedding light on how learners’ WTCC change at different timescales. Implications for online language learning and teaching are identified which can inform one-to-one contexts, teacher training and future research.
He kākano nō te taunuke o te hue : he tuhinga roa hai whakatutuki i ngā tikanga o Te Tohu Kairangi i Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Papaioea, Aotearoa
(Massey University, 2022) Black, Hona
Nō roto i ēneki tau tata nei kua kaha kē atu te pihi ake o te pūkōnohinohi a ētahi kia whakamāuitia ō rātau tūreo ā-iwi, otirā, kia mōhiotia tō rātau iwitanga i tō rātau reo. Hoi anō, tēraka hoki ētahi e whakapae ana he nenekara noa te whakamāui i ēneki reo, ā, me mātua aro kē tātau ki te whakamāui i te reo Māori whānui. Ko tā tēneki rangahau he urupare i ētahi o ngā urupounamu kua pihi ake i ēneki take, i ēneki whakataunga e hāngai ana ki te tūreo o Tūhoe. Mātua o ēneki urupounamu ko ēneki nā, he aha tēneki reo te tūreo o Tūhoe?, he wāhi nui tonu ōna mō ōna uri, haere ake nei?, he aha ōna āhuatanga kua rerekē i roto i ngā tau? Hai āpititanga atu ki ēneki urupounamu, i te nui o ngā uri o Tūhoe kai tawhiti i ōna maunga, ka uia anō te urupounamu, me pēhea e ora ai te tūreo o Tūhoe i ngā kāinga ōna kai tawhiti i ōna maunga? Hai urupare i ēneki urupounamu i nanaioretia ngā ariā Kaupapa Māori, Tūhoetanga me te rangatiratanga hai tūāpapa mōna. Ka mutu, i nanaioretia ngā tikanga pūrākau hai uiui i ētahi pākeke o Tūhoe i pakeke ake i roto i tēraka reo me tētahi whānau kai tawhiti i ōna maunga. Me te aha ko ngā kai i hua ake i ēneki nohonga tahitanga e aronui ana ki 1) te hira o te tūreo o Tūhoe ki ōna uri, 2) ōna motuhaketanga, 3) te tipu o tēneki tūreo, otirā, 4) te wāhi ki te tūreo ā-iwi me te reo Māori, haere ake nei. Hai āpititanga atu, ko ngā kōrero mō ngā rautaki whakamāui i te reo whānui me te tūreo ā-iwi i ōna kāinga maha, ahakoa tata, ahakoa tawhiti.
He kura whenua, he kura reo, he kura tangata : relationships over time between the land, the language, and the people : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Turitea Campus, Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa
(Massey University, 2024-11-12) Morris, Hone Waengarangi
Taipitopito Kei tua o te kupu tā he kura whenua, he kura reo, he kura tangata is the fundamental inspiration of this research. The phrase implies beyond the written word, there lies another realm, another experience, another perspective. This research will explore the relationships over time between the land, he kura whenua, the language, he kura reo, and the people, he kura tāngata within the narratives pertaining to the lands and waterways, the language on the land and the tūpuna connected to the land blocks, Rākau-tātahi, Ōtāwhao, Whenuahou and Waikōpiro, in the Tamatea Central Hawke’s Bay tribal district, incorporating the townships of Takapau, Waipukurau, Waipawa, Porangahau and surrounding areas. The ultimate wish in pursuing this area of research is provide access to the historical account of how the hapū of the Rākautātahi, Takapau regions are connected to the land and each other. Through providing a detailed account of the ancestors movements, their settling of the lands, the daily activities and the intimate connection reflected in the kupu and the origins of place names left on the land, the present generation and future generations will forever be connected to the land and the language used by the ancestors to strengthen individual and collective identity fulfilling the fundamental aim of this thesis, he kura whenua, he kura reo, he kura tangata. The relationship between the land the language and the people is the primary focus of this research drawing on traditional Indigenous lore and natural order: from time immemorial Māori have believed, as with many Indigenous peoples, that they belong to the whenua rather than the colonised concept of the whenua which belonged to them. Reference to written law feeding the public domain and constraint of sovereign order will be applied for comparison and contrast through the unique narratives articulated by tūpuna from 1883 – 1892—when the four land blocks in this research were investigated—within the proceedings of the Native Land Court, Te Kōti Whenua Māori borne out of statutes, Native Lands Act of 1862 and given authoritative power under the Native Lands Act on 30 October 1865. The moods of the land, the river, and its tributaries, conveyed by the stories and the perspectives of tūpuna underlie this research. For centuries narratives were conveyed orally by tūpuna, from generation to generation through the lens of traditional Indigenous lore and of the natural order to strengthen understandings that all living things are connected; within that understanding Māori possessed an inseparable collective connection to the land, the waterways, and the stories. Rereata Makiha (2021) refers to a whakatauākī by Tūkakī Waititi sharing the same reasoning as tūpuna regarding inseparable collective connection to the land, the waterways, and their respective stories, “Kāhore he aha i hangatia, i ahu noa mai rānei kia noho wehe i tēnei ao, ahakoa matangaro ka mōhiotia te mauri” Nothing was ever created or emerged in this world to live in isolation, even a hidden face can be detected by its impact on something. This research dives into narratives expressed during times of peace and times of conflict, quintessentially revealing a mindset that once walked side by side with the Gods and communicated to all living things as a brother or a sister, a guardian or parent. This is the story of the hapū of Tamatea-Heretaunga district and their lived experiences with the land. The research draws largely on the evidence provided by tūpuna in Native Land Court cases from 1883 through to 1892. Fundamentally, this research embodies the adage that, “the land is in the language and the language is in the land”, kei te whenua te reo, kei te reo te whenua, a phrase borne out of initial discussions with Professor Cynthia White, Pro Vice Chancellor, College of Humanities and Social Sciences about my research which can be articulated together with the phrase, “the land remembers” Logan (1975). To this I add the following thought, “tukua te whenua kia kōrero”, let the land speak, a statement I made to a group of tourist operators 23/06/19 when explaining the Te Waha-o-te-Kurī educational kiosk based at the eastern end of the Manawatū gorge, at Ferry Reserve. This thesis answers the following question, “What was the relationship over time between the land, the language and the people within the specific land blocks bordering Te Awa Pokere-a-Tama-kuku and its tributaries?”
Innovation and identity in distance language learning and teaching
(Multilingual Matters, 2007) White, Cynthia
Innovation in distance language learning and teaching has largely focused on developments in technology and the increased opportunities they provide for negotiation and control of learning experiences, for participating in collaborative learning environments and the development of interactive competence in the target language. Much less attention has been paid to pedagogical innovation and still less to how congruence develops between particular pedagogical approaches, various technologies and the skills, practices, actions and identities of language learners and teachers. In this article I explore the process of innovation in distance language teaching from the point of view of key participants in the process, the teachers, and the ways in which their identities are disrupted and challenged as they enter new distance teaching environments. Innovative approaches to distance language teaching are analysed for the insights they provide into the sites of conflict and struggle experienced by teachers, experiences which have a major impact on their selves as distance teachers and on the course of innovation. To conclude I argue that attention to issues of identity can deepen our understanding of innovation, of the tensions that are played out in the experiences and responses of teachers, and of the ways they accept or resist the identity shifts required of them.
Positive emotions in English language learning in the Vietnamese tertiary contexts : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2023) Nguyen, Thi Anh Hong
This thesis explores the emotions students experienced during their English language learning trajectories in the Vietnamese tertiary context. It specifically focuses on the students’ positive emotions and on the role of hope as a mediating factor in triggering shifts in students’ emotions from negative to positive. Drawing on a sociocultural approach, this study explores the contribution of positive emotions in their English language learning. This qualitative study aims to contribute to our understanding of the complexity, diversity, and dynamics of emotions in English language learning as well as the role of Vietnamese culture in the emotions students experienced. The study is based on written narratives and interviews with students taking English language courses within three affiliated universities in Vietnam. The data were obtained from a total of 185 written narrative responses and 10 student interviews. Narrative analysis (Barkhuizen et al., 2013) was used to analyse small stories in the written narratives and thematic analysis (Talmy, 2010) was used for analysing the interview data. The findings indicate that both positive and negative emotions co-existed in the students’ English language learning experiences. The range of activity-related, success-linked, and failure-linked emotions highlighted by the findings illustrate that activity-related emotions such as enjoyment and excitement positively triggered students’ engagement, while negative emotions such as boredom negatively impacted it. Success-linked emotions originated from students’ self-assessed successes in meeting personal study or learning goals, their parents’ or teachers’ expectations, or the standards imposed by the community or society as a whole, with positive achievement emotions strongly associated with positive outcomes. In contrast, failure-linked emotions were associated with the students’ failure in achieving personal targets and in meeting the expectations others had of them, their recognition of their own shortcomings in relation to accepted social standards, or from negative evaluations from other people. Importantly, the findings showed that emotions are socially and culturally constructed, and in particular associated with the features of the local Confucian cultural heritage. Overall, the thesis illustrates the role of people living around students or in interactions with them in the emergence and development of emotions associated with English language learning. Finally, hope, as an emotion, emerged as playing a significant role in the transition between negative and positive emotions. The insights of the study contribute to the theory of emotions in language learning by delineating in detail the close and reciprocal relationship between emotions, self-efficacy and motivation, and by providing evidence of the role of hope in motivating students. It also contributes to our understanding of the role cultural factors play in shaping students’ emotions. The findings have implications for policymakers, educational trainers, school managers, teachers, parents, and language learners.
Teacher agency in synchronous one-to-one Chinese online language teaching : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2022) Dai, Chujie
This study explores the teacher agency of four Chinese language teachers who teach in one-to-one videoconferencing settings. Since these teachers only had limited teaching experience in such a context, four preparatory workshops were designed for the teacher participants before they began teaching. The study seeks to answer three questions: 1) What kinds of competencies did teachers identify as required in their teaching via one-to-one videoconferencing? 2) What kinds of affordances and constraints did teachers perceive in teaching, and how was their agency influenced by these factors? 3) What was the main value of the preparatory workshops from the teachers’ perspective? The study is informed by ecological perspectives and employs a qualitative longitudinal case study approach. The data collected through teaching recordings, stimulated recall interviews, semi-structured interviews and group discussions formed the main data set. The data collected through a teacher questionnaire, written reflection sheets, opinion frames, and text chat on a social media platform formed the supporting data set. The main part of the study, spanning about eight months, comprised three stages. At the first stage, there were four teacher preparatory workshops, each including a lecture and a group discussion. At the second stage, each teacher conducted a series of Chinese learning sessions with a single learner, which were recorded and analysed. At the third stage, semi-structured interviews with individual teachers were conducted. The findings suggest that the teachers identified four important competencies required for online teaching: pedagogical competency, multimedia competency, social-affective competency and the competency of being reflective and reflexive. Different beliefs about teacher roles, perceived social hierarchy, and their relationships with peer teachers and the learners were the factors that enabled or constrained teachers’ actions. The perceived value of the teacher preparatory workshops was in providing opportunities for the teachers to bridge the gap between theories and teaching practice and to explore the pedagogical possibilities. They collectively formed an idealised notion of online teaching as a result of their discussions and this notion influenced their identity and teaching practice. The study concludes with implications for research methodology and a theoretical frame, shedding light on how the factors from the outer world, and teachers’ experience and aspirations could impact the enactment of agency. It is hoped that this study will be valuable for future online language teacher training and research.