Massey Documents by Type

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Teacher positioning of their practice for linguistically and culturally diverse learners
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2025-06-05) Ashton K; Qi GY
This article draws on open-response survey data (n = 86) to qualitatively explore New Zealand language teachers’ positioning of their pedagogical practice for linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Positioning can create inequities in learning opportunities, making this an important research concern, particularly as New Zealand teachers are expected to ‘support the needs and abilities of all learners’ (Education Council 2017, 10). Drawing on positioning theory as our analytical framework, we found that teachers generally perceive language classrooms to be ‘safe’ spaces. However, alongside this, they find it challenging to teach students with different levels of target language proficiency, highlighting this as an urgent professional development need. In particular, the presence of background learners, broadly defined as learners with a linguistic and/or cultural background in the language they are learning, is positioned as a significant pedagogical challenge. We argue that this positioning stems from an education system and learning provision which, despite positive rhetoric, erodes diversity. Our study will be of relevance to others navigating these challenges in different contexts.
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.
Multiple perspectives : a study of the views of second language teachers : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Teaching at Massey University
(Massey University, 2000) Beard, Christopher Hugh
One of the features of second language teaching and learning literature has been the emergence of multiple perspectives. While this has been welcomed as a strength of the second language profession, the manner in which teachers cope with a multiplicity of seemingly divergent viewpoints has received scant research attention. The aim of the present study has been to investigate the extent to which teachers experience doubt or uncertainty as a result of divergent views, as well as exploring the strategies they use for interpreting and accommodating these views. The study is qualitative in nature and uses a teacher questionnaire, a student questionnaire, and teacher interviews to form an interpretive account of six tertiary-level English as a Second Language teachers' responses to multiple perspectives. The results obtained indicated that divergent views did cause the teachers surveyed to experience a degree of uncertainty and doubt, which for some, created confusion and eroded confidence. Their uncertainties appeared to stem from an inclination to interpret divergent views in antithetical terms, despite the modifying influence of contextual factors. They shared several strategies for analysing conflicting claims, which included referring to their students needs and investigating the source and rationale of a point of view. The six teachers' preparedness to accommodate alternative positions was influenced by their experiential knowledge, popular ideas about teaching and learning, and institutional factors which promoted certain pedagogic practices. It seems that until now teachers have been provided with few strategies for interpreting and analysing divergent views. Further research needs to be carried out to explore the reality and effects of competing conceptual frameworks on classroom practitioners. The study concludes with practical suggestions on ways in which teachers could be assisted to cope with multiple perspectives in the language teaching and learning field.
Identity and self in e-language teaching
(Multilingual Matters, 2009) White CJ; Ding A
No abstract available

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