Dr Karen Ashton PhD, MA, BA, BCA

Contact details

• Location: SGP 4.20, Sir Geoffrey Peren Building
  Campus: Turitea

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy - University of Cambridge (2009)
• Master of Arts (Distinction) - University of Wales (2004)
• Bachelor of Arts - Victoria University (1997)
• Bachelor of Commerce and Administration - Victoria University (1998)

Research Interests

• Language learning and teaching
• Diverse learners and contexts
• Language education policy
• Language assessment (particularly classroom-based assessment, large-scale assessment development projects)
• Policy borrowing and learning (particularly Western pedaogical and assessment practices in Asian cultures)
• Teacher agency
• Forensic linguistics

Karen has published and presented widely in this field including on the following areas: multi-level language teaching, refugee learner experiences, classroom-based assessment, policy borrowing and learning, comparability of language assessments, alignment of assessments to the CEFR, assessment of non-Latin script and community languages, cross-language comparison of learner reading strategies.

Projects

• Massey Strategic Research Excellence Fund project titled Accomodating diversity of New Zealand language learners [2020]
• MURF funded project titled Multi-level languages classrooms: What are the challenges and how do teachers cope? [2016]
• Project titled A case study of the Japanese programme at Massey University: enrolment patterns and concomitant environmental factors. [2015]
• A New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) funded project titled Investing in Educational Success model: Critical Evidence review. [2014-2015]
• A Sasakawa Fellowship Foundation project titled Japanese language education in New Zealand: An evaluative literature review of the decline in students since 2005. [2012-2013]
• Project Manager for the European Survey on Language Competences (UK), (initiated and funded by the European Commission), which tested the language skills of 55,000 secondary school pupils in 14 European countries. [2008-2012]
• Research lead for Asset Languages, a multilingual assessment project (UK) derived from the UK's National Languages Strategy. Her role included test validation and managing a research agenda including cross-language and framework comparability. [2004-2008]

Thematics

21st Century Citizenship

Area of Expertise

Field of research codes
Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics (200401):
Comparative and Cross-Cultural Education (130302): Curriculum and Pedagogy (130200): Education (130000): Education Systems (130100):
Languages, Communication And Culture (200000): Linguistics (200400):
LOTE, ESL and TESOL Curriculum and Pedagogy (excl. Maori) (130207): Specialist Studies in Education (130300): Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators (130313)

Teaching Statement

Karen teaches and contributes to a range of applied linguistics, language education and TESOL courses.She also contributes her expertise to tailored programmes for international groups.

Courses coordinated:

272.705 Advanced TESOL for diverse learners and contexts

272.703 Contemporary Approaches to Language Teaching Methodology

172.236 Forensic Linguistics

192.102 Academic Writing in English for Speakers of Other Languages

Courses Coordinated

• 172.236 Forensic Linguistics
• 192.102 Academic Writing in English for Speakers of Other Languages

Current Doctoral Supervision

Co-supervisor of:

• Kanokphan Tongpong - Doctor of Philosophy
  Language Teacher Agency in English for Medical Purposes in the Thai Tertiary Context
• Timu Niwa - Doctor of Education
  Ma Wai Ke?: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study on Teacher Enactment of the Ka Hikitia Policy

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Supervisor of:

• 2020 - Ong-Art Namwong - Doctor of Philosophy
  Learner-centred Approaches in Teaching English in Thailand

Co-supervisor of:

• 2019 - Thi Dang - Doctor of Philosophy
  Changes in beliefs of pre-service teachers in an ESP teacher education program in Vietnam
• 2017 - Fareeha Javed - Doctor of Philosophy
  Pakistani Learners' Transition into University

Media

• 30 Jun 2012 - Newspaper
  Call to make learning languages compulsory
  Article for the Manwatu Standard
• 20 Jul 2012 - Other
  Study encourages early language lessons for kiwis
  Massey University news story
• 20 Aug 2016 - Magazine
  Language learning: Speak to me
  The Listener
• 17 May 2016 - Radio
  Maths, science and global competence?
  Radio New Zealand
• 07 May 2015 - Online
  NZ policy silent on language learning
  Massey University news story
• view more...
• 02 Jul 2012 - Newspaper
  Broaden kids horizons by learning languages
  Newspaper column for The Tribune
• 01 May 2014 - Newspaper
  Going places with languages
  Newspaper column for The Tribune
• view less...

Other Links

• Research Gate