AUT - Keryn McDermott

Keryn McDermott

Senior lecturer; Programme leader

Phone: 64 9 921 9999 ext 8403

Email: kmcdermo@aut.ac.nz

Physical Address:
Room 1425, Level 14, AUT Tower, corner of Wakefield and Rutland Streets, Auckland Central

Qualifications:

• M Ed (Multicultural Studies) New England
• BA Otago
• Dip.Teaching/Dip.TESOL
  

Biography:

Keryn McDermott's previous position was as the Director of the Centre for Refugee Education at Mangere, Auckland. Her career also included secondary teaching and English teacher training in China and Sri Lanka as well as development consultancies in the Solu Khumbu, Nepal  and Japan.

Teaching Areas:

Currently, Keryn is Programme Leader for the Certificate in Social Sciences, a bridging programme which prepares students for tertiary level study. She also coordinates the Cooperative Education paper which is considered the capstone of students degrees as they are prepared to apply their skills and knowledge in a workplace of preference.

Research Summary:

Keryn's research interests include the factors which facilitate refugee resettlement, cross-cultural research methodologies, the bilingual delivery of ESOL programmes for Beginners and best practice in Co-operative Education. 

She completed her Master thesis developing a cross-cultural research methodology for working for vulnerable groups. The model included associate researchers from refugee communities and used their mother tongue.

Investigating the factors which facilitated refugee resettlement, Keryn led three studies of the resettlement experiences of refugees from Cambodia, Iraq and Somalia.

• The Delivery of Health Services to Refugees in New Zealand, 2002 present
• Enhancing the Weakest Link: Strengthening the Relationship with the Sponsors of Cooperative Education, 2005 present
• Migrant Youth Project, Mt Roskill, Auckland: Project Plan and Literature Review, 2004*
• Review of the On-arrival Refugee Education Programmes, Mangere, Auckland, 2004*
• Evaluation of The ESOL Advisory Position at the Auckland Migrant Resource Centre, 2003*
• Review/Evaluation of Adult ESOL Programmes Part of the Ministry of Educations National Literacy Strategy, 2003
• National Government Quota Refugee Selection Policy Survey, 2002*
• The Perceptions, Expectations and Experiences of Kosova Refugees Resettling in Auckland, 2000-2002*
• Measurement of Literacy Gains for Low-level ESOL Learners, 2001*. A Methodological Journey: The Evolution of a Research Model Appropriate for an Exploration of the Factors Facilitating Resettlement for Government Quota Refugees in Auckland, New Zealand. Masters of Education thesis, 1997
• The Factors Which Facilitate Resettlement of Somali Women in Auckland,1997
• An Evaluation of the Refugee Education Programme from an Assyrian Christian Perspective,1994
• An Evaluation of the Refugee Resettlement Programme from a Cambodian Perspective, 1991*

Current Research Projects:

Keryn's current research includes improving the University's relationship with work-based supervisors of Cooperative Education students, the provision of effective health services to refugees and a national survey exploring the current status of the bilingual delivery of ESOL in New Zealands tertiary institutions.

A longitudinal study regarding the use of ePortfolios in Cooperative Education is underway and she has recently been invited to contribute to a symposium across all NZ campuses as a keynote speaker regarding cooperative education.

Publications:

• McDermott, K. & Gallagher, S. (2010).  The integration of eportfolios in Cooperative Education:  Lessons Learnt.  Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education.
• McDermott, K & Gallagher, S. (2010).  Eportfolios in Cooperative Education:  Do they work?  In refereed proceedings of the Australian Collaborative Education Network Conference, Perth, 29 September – 1 October 2010.
• McDermott, K. & Saunders, J.  (2008).  Bibliography:  ESOL and bilingual education.
  
• Mc Dermott, K. (2008). Addressing the weak link: enhancing the support of the sponsors of student placements in cooperative education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Co-operative Education 2008, 9, 91-111 [online].
  
• McDermott, K. (2007). Addressing the weak link: enhancing the  support of the sponsors of student placements in cooperative education: preliminary findings. In R. Coll (ed.), Refereed proceedings of the New Zealand Association of Cooperative Education (NZACE)Annual Conference, Rotorua, 19-20 April, 2007: Developing work-integrated learning in cooperative education and internship programmes [online] (pp. 17-22. Hamilton: NZACE.
  
• Devere, H., McDermott, K. & Verbitsky, J. (2006) Just a refugee: Rights and status of refugees in New Zealand. In F. Crepeau, F. Nakache, M. Collyer, N. Goetz, A. Hansen, R. Modi, A, Nadig, S. Spoljar-Vrzina. S. & L.van Willigen,  (Eds), Forced migration and global processes. (pp. 343-370). Maryland: Lexington Books.
• McDermott, K. Enhancing the weakest link: Strengthening the relationship with the sponsors of Cooperative Education. NZACE Conference Proceedings, 2006.
• McDermott, K. A Review of an ESOL Programme for Pre-literate Refugees: An Innovative Response to the Varied and Substantial Educational Needs of a Refugee Community in Auckland, New Zealand, Journal of Learning, Vol. 12, Issue 7, 2005, pp. 341-356. http://ijl.cgpublisher.com/product/pub.30/prod.800
• McDermott, K. (November, 2005). Provision of health services in New Zealand. Promoting Social Critique: Sociology Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) Annual Conference Proceedings 2005, Napier: Eastern Institute of Technology.
• Davies, E. McCormack, F. Hanna, K. McDermott, K. UKANDO: Roskill youth programme. Auckland: Institute of Public Policy, AUT University.
• McDermott, K. and Saunders, J. (2003). The bilingual delivery of ESOL programmes to refugees: The Aotearoa-New Zealand experience. The International Journal of Learning, 10: 1571-1587. ISSN 1447-9494 (print) 1447-9540 (online).
• Devere, H. McDermott, K. Verbitsky, J. (2002) Improving resettlement support for Kosovan refugees in New Zealand. In M. Couldrey, & T. Morri (Eds), Forced migration review (pp. 27-30). Oxford: Centre for Refugee Studies.
• Publications Syndicates Supporting Research Development, Research Management and Development and Postgraduate Education, AUT, Auckland, 2002 (on-line publication)*.
• Refugee Education: Reflections on an Effective Response to Cultural Difference, Teaching and Learning in Focus, vol.4, Issue 7, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, 2002.
• Shameem, N, McDermott, K., Martin-Blaker, J., Carryer, J. Language Through Literacy: A Report on the Literacy Gains of Low-level and Pre-literate Adult ESOL Learners in Literacy Classes, National Association of ESOL Home Tutor Schemes, Wellington, 2001.
• Mc Dermott, K. Kosovas in New Zealand: A Special Case of Refugee Resettlement.  Reinvigorating New Zealand Sociology: Practices, Projects, Politics and Protests. Proceedings of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand Conference, 2001*.
• A Methodological Journey: The Evolution of a Research Model Appropriate for the Exploration of the Factors Facilitating Resettlement for Government Quota Refugees in Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand Action Research Newsletter, 1999.
• Review of An Evaluation of the Refugee Education Programme From a Cambodian Perspective, Refugee Participation Network, Oxford University, 1991*.

*Please note that these are based on collaborative research/studies.