Student Profile

My name is Miao Fan and I completed the MA (Applied) Applied Linguistics with First Class Honors in the Department of General and Applied Linguistics in 2003.

I was teaching English at a Chinese university and became interested in this MA program. I have always thoroughly enjoyed English language teaching; but I realized that I needed some deeper understanding of the theory with regard to second language acquisition and second language teaching. Therefore I enrolled for this programme and have been very pleased with the results it has brought me.

The degree helped me find a job in New Zealand. I teach at the Western Institute of Technology in New Plymouth. I instruct international students in English and provide academic support to them. The knowledge I obtained through the MA (Applied) program has provided me with a number of essential teaching strategies as well as the confidence to teach English skills at a tertiary institute.

Working for a higher degree in another language is challenging but is definitely rewarding. I gained both knowledge and key insights into teaching aspects and methodologies that were previously unknown to me. The Department has educated me into the academic world of second language teaching. I continue to really appreciate the opportunity that the MA (Applied) has brought to me.