Margaret Connelly

Read about the research being undertaken by Margaret Connelly

Thesis title

The professional experiences of heritage language teachers in New Zealand

Supervisors

A/Prof Corinne Seals and A/Prof Rachel McKee

Abstract

New Zealand is culturally and linguistically diverse, with over 160 languages spoken by approximately a quarter of the population. Most are unofficial languages without dedicated government support, and many are subject to intergenerational language loss in a few as two generations. Amongst the NZ based research into heritage language (HL) maintenance, studies which focus on identity, family language policy, and language maintenance and shift find that multilingualism is of significant cognitive, social, cultural and economic benefit, while the responsibility for language maintenance falls largely to grassroots efforts within family and community settings. However crucial the family domain, the role of language education is significant as a "last line of defence" against language loss. Opportunities for valuing, maintenance, learning and use across family, community and educational domains are vital for HL maintenance, yet research suggests fewer than 5% of children have sustained and coherent access to HL education throughout their mainstream schooling. While there is a growing body of literature in HL maintenance in NZ, few studies have explored heritage language teacher experiences. Those that have, found teachers to be qualified, skilled and passionate, yet faced with challenges such as limited resources, facilities and funding, a need for localised curriculum and for professional development, particularly relating to the New Zealand educational context. These challenges motivate my research, which seeks to inform a more supportive, inclusive and coherent framework for HL education in NZ  and produce actionable insights that could influence infrastructure, policy and practice in heritage language education in New Zealand.

Biography

Margaret Connelly has been a language teacher educator and ESOL teacher who has taught both in New Zealand and Japan. Her MA thesis explored the language beliefs, practices, management and language education among heritage language communities in New Zealand, which she was awarded with First Class Honors. She is now pursuing doctoral research into the professional experiences of heritage language teachers in New Zealand.

Publications

Connelly, M., (2024). 'They think it is not used at school': Heritage Language Maintenance in New Zealand, in Erlam, R. (Ed). Teaching the Linguistically Diverse Learner in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Council for Educational Research

Presentations

Connelly, M. (2024, July). From TESOL to CLESOL: New Zealand Certificate in Language Education. Paper presented at NZALT/FIPLV World Congress. Auckland, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2024, April). Supporting linguistic diversity: Insights from a survey of heritage language maintenance in New Zealand. Paper presented at CLESOL. Wellington, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2024, April). From TESOL to heritage language education: Milestones and future directions of the New Zealand Certificate in Language Education. Paper presented at CLESOL. Wellington, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2022, November). “At school, of course, English Only”: Heritage Language Education in New Zealand. Paper presented at ALANZ/ALAA/ALTAANZ Applied Linguistics Conference. Wellington, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2022, October). Heritage Language Maintenance in New Zealand Family, Community and Educational Domains. Paper presented at TESOLANZ ManaTESOL Zui: Supporting Heritage Languages. New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2022, July). Heritage Language Education in New Zealand. Paper presented at NZALT Conference. Dunedin, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2022, March). Heritage Language Education in New Zealand: Preliminary Findings. Paper presented at Auckland Languages Strategy Working Group. Auckland, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2021, October). Student-centered Assessment Design: Using a Constructive Alignment framework. Paper presented at CLESOL. Auckland, New Zealand
Connelly, M. & Granger, R. (2021, October). NZCLT: New Zealand’s First Entry-Level Community Language Teaching Qualification. Paper presented at CLESOL. Auckland, New Zealand
Connelly, M. (2021, February). Constructive Alignment for Student-Centred Assessment Design. Paper presented at TESOLANZ Assessment Symposium. Auckland, New Zealand