Narratives of Qualitative Phd Research: Identities, Languages and Cultures in Transition

The book provides a grounded, narrative exploration of contemporary qualitative PhD research in the fields of language education and applied linguistics. The chapters are authored by current and former PhD candidates studying in New Zealand, with commentaries from international experts in the field.

The book contains ten chapters in addition to the foreword, introduction and afterword. Each chapter addresses a different stage of PhD candidature: pre-enrolment; the first six months, research design, literature review, data collection, data analysis, drafting chapters, supervision and feedback, publishing and the examination process. Each chapter includes a set of questions for the readers to reflect on issues raised by the authors, and a comprehensive list of references.

The book is intended for an audience of prospective and current PhD candidates, PhD supervisors, academic language and learning advisors who work with PhD candidates, researchers working in the field of doctoral education, and university administrators in pertinent leadership roles.

Laura Gurney completed her PhD at Deakin University and is Senior Lecturer at Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education, University of Waikato, New Zealand. Laura is an experienced language teacher and language teacher educator, having previously taught at Griffith University and Deakin University in the areas of applied linguistics and TESOL, teacher education, Spanish as an additional language, and English for academic purposes. As a researcher and PhD supervisor, she specialises in teacher development, academic literacies, higher education, and innovative approaches in applied linguistics and education.

Yi Wang obtained her PhD in applied linguistics at University of Waikato in 2016 and has since then been working as a language teacher and researcher at Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand. Prior to that, she had taught for ten years at Shandong University of Technology, China. She implements and researches into learner-story-based language teaching and learning and inclusive practice for diverse learners. She examines in depth the delicacy of scaffolding and control shift in the development of learner autonomy. Her research also involves cross-cultural learner and teacher narratives, identities, and academic/professional/personal development.

Roger Barnard recently retired as Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics at the University of Waikato. Before taking up a lectureship in New Zealand in 1995, he worked in England, Europe, and the Middle East as a teacher, teacher educator, manager, and advisor to ministries of education. Over the past twenty-five years, he has taught graduate courses in applied linguistics, supervised over twenty PhD and MA research students, and examined many more. He publishes frequently and serves on the editorial boards of several international journals. Over the years, he has been visiting professor in Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, and has accepted many other invitations in mostly Asian universities, where he has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses and undertaken joint research projects.