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Dr Peter J Keegan
PhD, MPhil, BA(Hons)
Biography
Peter was born and raised in central Taranaki (West Coast, North Island, New Zealand). He has been living in Auckland (New Zealand) since December 2000.
He pepeha (tribal proverb)
Ko Pirongia te maunga
Ko Waipā te awa
Ko Waikato-Maniapoto me Ngāti Apakura ngā iwi
Ko Pūrekireki Wīwī te marae
Research | Current
Peter's interests include language structure and use, measurement (including Item Response Theory), assessment and language testing, (especially in Māori and indigenous language education contexts), language documentation and conservation. He focuses on quantitative approaches to research and data. He undertakes research on changes in the structure of Māori language and efforts to revitalize Māori and indigenous languages, in educational and community contexts. He is also interested in the achievement of Māori and minority students, and Māori/indigenous literatures.
Major Research Projects
2020-2023 Awakening the Proto-lexicon
Along with Professors Jen Hay, Jeanette King & others from the University of Canterbury (Christchurch), this is a Marsen Fund project investigating the latent knowledge of Māori words by non-speakers of Māori both form NZ and overseas. https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/nzilbb/research/grants/the-proto-lexicon---how-does-it-emerge-and-can-it-be-awakened/
2004-2022 MAONZE (Māori New Zealand English)
Along with Dr Catherine Watson (School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering), Dr Jeanette King, Dr Margaret Maclagan (University of Canterbury), Dr Ray Harlow, and many others. The project examines changes in the pronunciation of Māori and New Zealand English over time. It has been supported by two Marsden fund grants.
2015-2022 Māori Pronunciation Tool: A System for Providing Feedback on Spoken Māori (MPAi)
Along with Dr Catherine Watson (School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering), Dr Justine Hui (Faculty of Engineering) and others. The project involves developing and trialling a prototype computer-based Māori pronunciation tool that provides users with real-time feedback on their own pronunciation of Māori vowels and words. We undertook trials in November/December 2015 late 2016 and mid-2017, analysed the results, and then undertook a further trial in late 2019. We have written up the results and submitted them to a journal in late 2021.
Other Projects
Peter contributes to research projects in the Faculty of Engineering.
Teaching | Current
Semester One 2022 EDUC 114 (Lecturer, Course Coordinator)
Postgraduate supervision
Current PhD Supervision
- Shields, Isabella. Sound Change of /r/ in te reo Māori, with Associate Professor Catherine Watson.
- Zhang, Tiancheng. Using Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment to understand and improve the DELNA listening assessment task, with Associate Professor Rosemary Erlam.
- Ji, Di. Family Language Policy and its relevance to Chinese Heritage Language Maintenance in New Zealand, with Professor Stephen May.
- Teh, David. An Additive, Dynamic & Usage-Based Multilingual Approach (ADUMA) To English Language Teaching in Malaysia, with Professor Stephen May.
- Yan, Yuan. Bilingual Education of Mandarin and Dong in Southwest China: Policies, Practices and Attitudes, with Professor Stephen May.
Responsibilities
Kaiarahi (Advisor) Vision Mātauranga, Faculty of Education and Social Work
Director of Assessment in te reo Māori, Faculty of Education and Social Work
Areas of expertise
-
Interests include measurement (including Item Response Theory), assessment and language testing, especially in Māori and indigenous language education contexts. Focuses on quantitative approaches to research and data. Undertakes research on changes in the structure of Māori language and efforts to revitalize Māori and indigenous languages, in educational and community contexts. Also interested in the achievement of Māori and minority students.
- The structure of Māori language, especially changes in modern contexts such as home, schooling and community
- Also interested in Māori narratives, Māori literature (both in English and Māori)
Committees/Professional groups/Services
Faculty of Education and Social Work Liberal Arts Committee
Faculty of Education and Social Work Research Committee
Faculty of Education Staffing Committee
Te Puna Wānanga Research and Postgraduate Committee
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Shah, R., Brown, G., Keegan, P., Burakevych, N., Harding, J. E., & McKinlay, C. J. D. (2020). Teacher rating versus measured academic achievement: Implications for paediatric research. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health10.1111/jpc.14824
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/50665
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Gavin Brown, Jane Harding, Chris McKinlay, Rajesh Kumar Shah - Keegan, P. J. (2019). A Reflection for Te Wiki o te reo Māori. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@ideasroom/2019/09/10/797966/ihu-mtao-waha-mahana-a-reflection-for-te-wiki-o-te-reo-mori. Related URL.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/48766 - Reese, E., Keegan, P., McNaughton, S., Kingi, T. K., Carr, P. A., Schmidt, J., ... Morton, S. (2018). Te reo Māori: Indigenous language acquisition in the context of New Zealand English. Journal of Child Language, 45 (2), 340-367.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/44020
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Stuart McNaughton, Susan Morton, Cameron Grant - Mixdorff, H., Watson, C., & Keegan, P. (2018). Quantitative analysis of māori prosody from three generations. Proceedings of the International Conference on Speech Prosody. 10.21437/SpeechProsody.2018-128
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/43628
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Catherine Watson - Keegan, P. J. (2017). Māori dialect issues and Māori language ideologies In the revitalisation era. MAI Journal, 6 (2), 129-142. 10.20507/MAIJournal.2017.6.2.3
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/39179 - Watson, C. I., Keegan, P. J., Maclagan, M. A., Harlow, R., & King, J. (2017). The motivation and development of MPAi, a Māori Pronunciation Aid. Proceedings of Interspeech 2017, 2063-2067. Stockholm, Sweden: International Speech Communication Association. 10.21437/Interspeech.2017-215
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Catherine Watson - Maclagan, M., Watson, C. I., Harlow, R., King, J., & Keegan, P. (2017). Investigating the sound change in the New Zealand English nurse vowel. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 37 (4), 465-485. 10.1080/07268602.2017.1364126
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/40134
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Catherine Watson - Keegan, P. (2017). On changes in New Zealand Māori narrative: How an indigenous culture engages the modern world. In D. Dattaray, E. Halder, S. Bhattacharya (Eds.) Following forkhead paths: Discussions on the narrative (pp. 27-41). Kolkata, India: Setu Prakashani.
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/39081
Identifiers
Contact details
- +64 9 923 4406
- +64.9.923.4406
- p.keegan@auckland.ac.nz
- pkee012@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Primary office location
C - BLOCK. EPSOM - Bldg 6EC
Level G, Room G06
EPSOM CAMPUS, 74 EPSOM AVE
EPSOM
AUCKLAND 1023
New Zealand