ALANZ invites Masters and PhD graduates who have completed and passed their thesis to enter the Best Thesis competition.

In order to reward excellence and provide greater visibility for new researchers, each year, ALANZ awards prizes for the best Master’s and PhD theses in Applied Linguistics examined and awarded in the previous year in New Zealand. Each university may nominate one candidate for each category. Nominations are called early in the year and a panel of judges from New Zealand universities will be appointed to choose the successful candidate. If you wish your thesis to be considered, please contact your supervisor, or the head of applied linguistics department in the university that awarded your degree.

The prize awarded is:

1. Master’s Thesis – $200; one year’s membership for the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand; an invitation to submit an article for publication in New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics and to be mentored towards its eventual publication.
2. PhD Thesis – $500; one year’s membership for the Applied Linguistics Association of New Zealand; an invitation to submit an article for publication in New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics and to be mentored towards its eventual publication.

Current Winners

Winners of the 2023 ALANZ Thesis Competition

PhD category: Nutthida Tachaiyaphum (Waikato University)
Content and Language Integrated Learning in Practice: Exploring Pre-service EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Negotiation of Meaning of Subject-specific Language in Thai Secondary Classrooms
View Nutthida’s presentation here.

The judges wrote:

The thesis examined content and language integrated learning (CLIL) for Thai pre-service EFL teachers, with a particular focus on student teacher beliefs and negotiation of meaning (NOM) strategies in subject-specific secondary classrooms. The methodology was effectively deployed with the qualitative approach of case studies, enabling rich insights into the data.
The need for teachers to adopt CLIL approaches in English medium instruction (EMI) classrooms in traditionally non-English dominant countries raises the issue of preservice education for student EFL teachers going forward. Thailand is an ideal research site for this work, given its long and complex history with English. The thesis significantly updates the CLIL field, in particular with its emphasis on the need to include first language teaching even in EMI contexts.

PhD category: Aynur Ismayilli Karakoç (Victoria University of Wellington)
Designing and Validating an Integrated Reading-Writing (IRW) Test for First-year Students in the Humanities and Social Sciences in New Zealand
View Aynur’s presentation here.

The judges wrote:

This thesis developed an innovative integrated reading-writing (IRW) test for first-year humanities and social sciences students, applying Weir’s socio-cognitive framework. The study employed a robust methodology, combining domain analysis with multiple validation methods. The work makes a significant contribution to language assessment, addressing cognitive, context, and scoring validity. It offers practical implications for post-entry language assessment and EAP exit testing. The findings highlight the importance of aligning tests with academic demands and assessing higher-order skills. This research is particularly relevant given the increasing need for valid assessment tools that reflect the complex literacy demands of university study.

Master’s category: Melissa Simchowitz (Victoria University of Wellington)
Language practices of Māori Deaf New Zealand Sign Language users for identity expression
View Melissa’s presentation here.

The judges wrote:

The thesis is truly innovative in terms of the context in which it is situated and the methodology it adopts. There are relatively few studies of the social construction of identity in sign languages, and perhaps only one other that systematically explores this for Māori Deaf. The methodology is anchored in a strong theoretical framework. The study uses two forms of data: visual recordings and focus groups, both of which have generated rich and significant new findings such as a large number of previously undocumented neologisms. The researcher is to be commended on her consistent care for her participants, her reflection on researcher positioning, the robustness of analysis, and the clear and concise writing and presentation of her thesis.

Past Winners