Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T01:34:31.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Te Reo Māori as a Subject: The Impact of Language Ideology, Language Practice, and Language Management on Secondary School Students’ Decision Making

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2014

Maree Jeurissen
Maree Jeurissen*
Affiliation:
School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
*
address for correspondence: Maree Jeurissen, School of Curriculum and Pedagogy, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Te reo Māori, the Indigenous language of Aotearoa (New Zealand), remains ‘endangered’ despite concentrated ongoing efforts to reverse declining numbers of speakers. Most of these efforts have focused on te reo Māori immersion education settings as these were considered the most effective means to ensure the survival of the language (May & Hill, 2008). More recently, the home has been identified as an important setting for language regeneration (Te Puni Kokiri, 2011). Despite the fact that the vast majority of secondary school-aged students (both Māori and non-Māori) attend English-medium schools, these settings are seldom considered as having potential to increase numbers of te reo Māori speakers. This article reports findings from a case study of one English-medium secondary school where factors surrounding the uptake of te reo Māori as a subject were investigated. Using Spolsky and Shohamy's (2000) language policy framework as an explanatory lens, it was revealed that even when students’ language ideologies orient them towards learning te reo Māori, language management and practice decisions can discourage rather than encourage this choice.

Keywords

te reo Māorilanguage regnerationlanguage policy frameworklanguage ideologylanguage management
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , December 2014 , pp. 175 - 184
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akinnaso, F.N. (1994). Linguistic unification and language rights. Applied Linguistics, 15 (2), 139–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, A., Hutchings, J., Taupo, K., & Bright, N. (2012). Critical issues for whānau in English-medium schools. Set, 2012 (2), 12–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bishop, R., & Glynn, T. (1999). Culture counts: Changing power relations in education. Palmerston North, NZ: Dunmore Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research methods in education (5th ed.). London, UK: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
Day, S. (2012, September 9). Learning te reo could boost your intelligence. Sunday Star Times, p. A6.Google Scholar
Delpit, L. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people's children. Harvard Educational Review, 52 (3), 280–298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durie, M. (2011). Nga Tini Whetu: Navigating Māori futures. Wellington, NZ: Huia.Google Scholar
East, M. (2008). Learning additional languages in New Zealand's schools: The potential and challenge of the new curriculum area. Curriculum Matters, 4, 113–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fishman, J., Gertner, M., Lowy, E., & Milan, W. (1985). The rise and fall of ethnic revival: Perspectives on language and ethnicity. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fishman, J. (Ed). (2001). Can threatened languages be saved? Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hohepa, M. (2006). Biliterate practices in the home: Supporting Indigenous language regeneration. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 5 (4), 293–315.Google Scholar
Hornberger, N. (Ed.). (2008). Can schools save Indigenous languages? Houndmills, Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutchings, J., Barnes, A., Taupo, K., Bright, N., with Pimaha, L., & Lee, J. (2012). Kia Puawaitia Nga Tumanako: Critical issues for whanau in Māori education. Wellington, NZ: NZCER.Google Scholar
May, S., & Hill, R. (2008). Māori-medium education: Current issues and challenges. In Hornberger, N. (Ed.), Can schools save indigenous languages? (pp. 66–98). Houndmills, Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave MacMillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Education (n.d.). Education counts. Retrieved December 17, 2012, from http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/schooling/july_school_roll_returns/6052Google Scholar
Scott, A. (2011). Teaching additional languages in New Zealand: One piece of the national jigsaw — pre-secondary teachers of Japanese. New Zealand Language Teacher, 37, 13–18.Google Scholar
Smith, L.T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
Spolsky, B. (2003). Reassessing Māori regeneration. Language in Society, 32 (4), 553–578.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spolsky, B., & Shohamy, E. (2000). Language practice, language ideology, and language policy. In Lambert, R. (Ed.), Language policy and pedagogy. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Taiwhati, M., Toia, R., Te Maro, P., McRae, H., & McKenzie, T. (2010). Takina te kawa: Laying the foundation, a research engagement methodology in Aotearoa (New Zealand). The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39, 110–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Te Puni Kokiri. (2011). Te Reo Mauriora: Te Arotakenga o te rangai reo Māori me te rautaki reo Māori. Review of the Māori Language Sector and the Māori Language Strategy, April 2011. Retrieved from http://www.tpk.govt.nz/_documents/te-reo-mauriora.pdfGoogle Scholar
UNESCO. (1996). Universal Declaration on Linguistic Rights: World conference on linguistic rights. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/cppGoogle Scholar
Waitangi, Tribunal (2010). Waitangi Tribunal report 262: Te reo Māori. Wellington, NZ: Waitangi Tribunal.Google Scholar
Walker, S., Eketone, A., & Gibbs, A. (2006). An exploration of kaupapa Māori research, its principles, processes and applications. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 9 (4), 331–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webber, M. (2012). Identity matters: Racial-ethnic identity and Māori students. Set, 2012 (2), 20–27.Google Scholar
Whitinui, P. (Ed.). (2011). Kia Tangi Te Titi: Permission to speak. Wellington, NZ: NZCER Press.Google Scholar