{"id":{"repo_id":"toi-ohomai","oai_identifier":"oai:null:10652/6916"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/toi-ohomai/oai:null:10652/6916","repository":{"repo_id":"toi-ohomai","name":"Toi Ohomai","base_url":"https://www.researchbank.ac.nz/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The challenges for international students encountering New Zealand English and Te Reo Māori","abstract":"This study explores the language challenges that international students face in New Zealand's tertiary education system, focusing on the combined impact of New Zealand English (NZE) and te reo Māori. While many studies have looked at the difficulties of understanding NZE or the role of te reo Māori in education, few have examined how these two languages together affect international students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research collected data from an online survey and follow-up interviews to better understand how language barriers influence students’ academic progression, social integration, and overall well-being. The findings show that students often struggled with the NZE accent, fast speech, and informal expressions, which affect lecture comprehension, understanding academic reading, and joining classroom activities. Te reo Māori, although used less often, caused confusion when not explained, especially during cultural events and in academic settings. These challenges led to lower confidence, anxiety, and feelings of exclusion. Students also shared helpful strategies, such as using translation tools, joining language groups, and watching local media to adapt to language use in New Zealand. This study adds to existing theories on second-language anxiety (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (Cummins, 2000) and highlights the importance of culturally responsive teaching (Hunter & Jones, 2017). It recommends clearer communication, better orientation to local language use, and more inclusive classroom support. By recognising the combined effect of NZE and te reo Māori, this research calls for further support systems to help international students succeed both academically and socially in New Zealand.","abstract_html":"This study explores the language challenges that international students face in New Zealand's tertiary education system, focusing on the combined impact of New Zealand English (NZE) and te reo Māori. While many studies have looked at the difficulties of understanding NZE or the role of te reo Māori in education, few have examined how these two languages together affect international students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research collected data from an online survey and follow-up interviews to better understand how language barriers influence students’ academic progression, social integration, and overall well-being. The findings show that students often struggled with the NZE accent, fast speech, and informal expressions, which affect lecture comprehension, understanding academic reading, and joining classroom activities. Te reo Māori, although used less often, caused confusion when not explained, especially during cultural events and in academic settings. These challenges led to lower confidence, anxiety, and feelings of exclusion. Students also shared helpful strategies, such as using translation tools, joining language groups, and watching local media to adapt to language use in New Zealand. This study adds to existing theories on second-language anxiety (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (Cummins, 2000) and highlights the importance of culturally responsive teaching (Hunter & Jones, 2017). It recommends clearer communication, better orientation to local language use, and more inclusive classroom support. By recognising the combined effect of NZE and te reo Māori, this research calls for further support systems to help international students succeed both academically and socially in New Zealand.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Geeganage, Avanthi Sajeeni"],"institution":"Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Applied Professional Studies – Adult Teaching","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-06-01","date_published":"2025-06-01","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:27:52Z","subjects":["Foreign students","Language barriers","New Zealand tertiary education","Academic progression","Study - New Zealand","International students in tertiary education","Language comprehension"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["All rights reserved"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6916","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Geeganage, Avanthi Sajeeni"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-07-28T02:17:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-07-28T02:17:32Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-06-01"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Applied Professional Studies – Adult Teaching"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Foreign students","Language barriers","New Zealand tertiary education","Academic progression","Study - New Zealand","International students in tertiary education","Language comprehension"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["All rights reserved"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6916"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study explores the language challenges that international students face in New Zealand's tertiary education system, focusing on the combined impact of New Zealand English (NZE) and te reo Māori. While many studies have looked at the difficulties of understanding NZE or the role of te reo Māori in education, few have examined how these two languages together affect international students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research collected data from an online survey and follow-up interviews to better understand how language barriers influence students’ academic progression, social integration, and overall well-being. The findings show that students often struggled with the NZE accent, fast speech, and informal expressions, which affect lecture comprehension, understanding academic reading, and joining classroom activities. Te reo Māori, although used less often, caused confusion when not explained, especially during cultural events and in academic settings. These challenges led to lower confidence, anxiety, and feelings of exclusion. Students also shared helpful strategies, such as using translation tools, joining language groups, and watching local media to adapt to language use in New Zealand. This study adds to existing theories on second-language anxiety (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (Cummins, 2000) and highlights the importance of culturally responsive teaching (Hunter & Jones, 2017). It recommends clearer communication, better orientation to local language use, and more inclusive classroom support. By recognising the combined effect of NZE and te reo Māori, this research calls for further support systems to help international students succeed both academically and socially in New Zealand."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The challenges for international students encountering New Zealand English and Te Reo Māori"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Geeganage, Avanthi Sajeeni"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-07-28T02:17:32Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-07-28T02:17:32Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-06-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study explores the language challenges that international students face in New Zealand's tertiary education system, focusing on the combined impact of New Zealand English (NZE) and te reo Māori. While many studies have looked at the difficulties of understanding NZE or the role of te reo Māori in education, few have examined how these two languages together affect international students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research collected data from an online survey and follow-up interviews to better understand how language barriers influence students’ academic progression, social integration, and overall well-being. The findings show that students often struggled with the NZE accent, fast speech, and informal expressions, which affect lecture comprehension, understanding academic reading, and joining classroom activities. Te reo Māori, although used less often, caused confusion when not explained, especially during cultural events and in academic settings. These challenges led to lower confidence, anxiety, and feelings of exclusion. Students also shared helpful strategies, such as using translation tools, joining language groups, and watching local media to adapt to language use in New Zealand. This study adds to existing theories on second-language anxiety (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1994) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (Cummins, 2000) and highlights the importance of culturally responsive teaching (Hunter & Jones, 2017). It recommends clearer communication, better orientation to local language use, and more inclusive classroom support. By recognising the combined effect of NZE and te reo Māori, this research calls for further support systems to help international students succeed both academically and socially in New Zealand."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10652/6916"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:rights":["All rights reserved"],"dc:subject":["Foreign students","Language barriers","New Zealand tertiary education","Academic progression","Study - New Zealand","International students in tertiary education","Language comprehension"],"dc:title":["The challenges for international students encountering New Zealand English and Te Reo Māori"],"dc:type":["Masters Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Applied Professional Studies – Adult Teaching"],"thesis:institution_name":["Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:27:52Z"}