Student’s language research reaps rewards

Student’s language research reaps rewards

A PhD applied linguistics student’s research about three rural primary schools in northwest Pakistan that are located close to each other, but follow different languages in their teaching, has won two prestigious awards.

Aziz Khan, who is in his fourth year of study towards a PhD in Applied Language Studies and Linguistics at the University of Auckland, has received the Graduate Student Award from the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) and a Doctoral Dissertation Grant from the International Research Foundation (TIRF).

Both awards are for the quality of his doctoral research into language education and Aziz, who now lives in West Auckland, will use them to further his studies in linguistics.
Aziz came to New Zealand from Pakistan four years ago and speaks each of the three languages offered at the primary schools at the centre of his research -
English, the official and most sought after language; Urdu, the national language; and Pashto, the indigenous language of the area where the study is based.

He also speaks Arabic and Punjabi.

Aziz’s research topic is “A Narrative Ethnography of Teachers’ Language Perceptions, Preferences, and Practices in a Multilingual Context, and its Implications for Language-in-Education Policy and Planning.”

His research to date indicates that English is seen as a means for getting out of the vicious cycle of poverty and so is the most favoured language in the area. The indigenous languages, although loved, are not viewed as having any utility in the linguistic marketplace and are therefore not preferred by the teachers as part of the education system. Paradoxically, since the teachers’ English language proficiency is quite low, English as a medium of instruction acts as a barrier to learning and academic achievement.

The AAAL award meets his travel costs to a linguistics conference in Toronto where he has a sought-after speaking slot to outline his research to linguists from around the world.

Aziz’s international recognition is even more of an honour as he was invited to apply for the AAAL Graduate Student Award. He submitted his research abstract seeking a place to present at the conference, and received a return email asking him to apply.

“I knew about the award, but I never thought about applying for it,” Aziz says. “It’s a great honour. For a PhD student, getting this is huge.”

The AAAL award followed his earlier success in receiving a Doctoral Dissertation Grant from The International Research Foundation (TIRF), a non-profit organisation whose mission is to generate new knowledge about English language teaching and learning.

“It is a very competitive award as people from around the world apply for it,” Aziz says.

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