Research Interests (Area & Methodologies)

• Schooling improvement and school change
• Sustainability of educational reforms
• Research-development interventions to improve teaching and learning
• Professional learning communities; problem-based methodology
   

Research Leadership

• 2008-2011 Building Evaluative Capability in Schooling Improvement (National project) – Co-Leader
• 2008-2012 West Coast Secondary Project (Regional project) – Leader
• 2008-2009 Teaching Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) Project on Sustainability – Leader
• 2008 West Coast Sustainability Project (Regional project) – Leader
• 2008 Ministry Project on Sustainability – Leader
• 2005–2007 West Coast Literacy Project (Regional project) – Co-Leader
   

Selected Recent Relevant Publications

Articles in peer refereed journals

• Lai, M. K., McNaughton, S., Amituanai-Toloa, M., Turner, R., & Hsiao, S. (2009). Sustained acceleration of achievement in reading comprehension: The New Zealand experience. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(1), 30-56.
• Lai, M. K., McNaughton, S., Timperley, H., & Hsiao, S. (2009). Sustaining continued acceleration in Reading Comprehension Achievement Following an Intervention. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 81-100.
• Lai, M. K., McNaughton, S., MacDonald, S., & Farry, S. (2004). Profiling reading comprehension in Mangere schools: A research and development collaboration. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 39(2), 223-240.
• Lai, M. K., Sinclair, M., Naidoo, P., Naidoo, S., & Robinson, V. M. J. (2003). Inclusion: What happened after Special Education 2000. SET : Research Information for Teachers, 1, 40-44.
• Annan, B., Lai, M. K., & Robinson, V. M. J. (2001). Teacher talk to improve teacher practices. SET : Research Information for Teachers, 1, 31-35.
• Amituanai-Toloa, M., McNaughton, S., & Lai, M. K. (2008). A profile of reading comprehension in English for Samoan bilingual students in Samoan bilingual classes. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 43(1), 5-20.
• Amituanai-Toloa, M., McNaughton, S., & Lai, M. K. (2009). Biliteracy and language development in Samoan bilingual classrooms: The effects of increasing English reading comprehension. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1, 1-19.
• Amituanai-Toloa, M., McNaughton, S., & Lai, M. K. (2009). Examining Samoan language development in Samoan bilingual students’ understanding of texts in English. US-China Education Review Journal, 6(6), 23-36.
• Heron, M., Hucker, J., Rooney, C., Robinson, V. M. J., Lai, M. K., & Mose, K. (2001). The story of progressive achievement testing at Southern Cross Middle School. SET: Research Information for Teachers, 2, 34-38.
• Marino, C., Nicholl, J., Paki-Slater, M., Timperley, H., & Lai, M. K. (2001). Reporting to parents at Nga Iwi School. SET: Research Information for Teachers, 2, 3-6.
• McNaughton, S., & Lai, M. K. (2009). A model of school change for culturally and linguistically diverse students in New Zealand: A summary and evidence from systematic replication. Teaching Education, 20(1), 1-21.
• McNaughton, S., Lai, M. K., MacDonald, S., & Farry, S. (2004). Designing more effective teaching of comprehension in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms in New Zealand. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 27(3), 84-197.
• Symes, I., Jeffries, L., Timperley, H., & Lai, M. K. (2001). Evaluating a new approach to professional development in literacy at Viscount School. SET: Research Information for Teachers, 2, 3-6.

Book chapters

• Lai, M. K., & McNaughton, S. (2008). Raising student achievement in poor, urban communities through evidence-based conversations. In L. Earl & H. Timperley (Eds.), Evidence-based conversations to improve educational practices (pp. 13-27). Netherlands: Kluwer/Springer Academic Publishers.

Book

• Robinson, V. M. J., & Lai, M. K. (2006). Practitioner research for educators: A guide to improving classrooms and schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Technical reports / Policy papers

• Lai, M. K., McNaughton, S., & Amituanai-Toloa., M. (2009). A systems level approach to learning from aggregated achievement data: Implications for policy. Auckland: UniServices Ltd.
• Lai, M. K., McNaughton, S., & Timperley, H. (2007). Sustainability of professional learning: Final milestone report. Auckland: UniServices.
• McNaughton, S., & Lai, M. K. (2008). Raising a region's literacy levels: A technical report on the West Coast Literacy Project. Auckland: UniServices Ltd.
• McNaughton, S., Lai, M. K., Amituanai-Toloa, M., & Farry, S. (2007). Enhanced teaching and learning of comprehension in years 5-8 in seven Otara schools: Final report. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
• McNaughton, S., MacDonald, S., Amituanai-Toloa, M., Lai, M. K., & Farry, S. (2006). Enhanced teaching and learning of comprehension in years 4-9 in seven Mangere schools: Final report. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Links

• Woolf Fisher Research Centre
   

Professional Links

Reviewer for:

• International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement conference, 2008.
• American Educational Research Association conference, 2010.
• Journals such as Reading Research Quarterly and School Improvement and School Effectiveness.

Other

• Programme Chair for International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement conference, 2008.
   

Scholarships

• University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship
• University of Auckland Masters/Honours Scholarship
• Senior Scholar in Education (Top student in School of Education at advanced undergraduate level)
• Certificate of Merit in Statistics (Top 2% in Statistics at undergraduate level)
   

Qualifications/Degrees

• PhD
• MA (Hons)
• BA
   

Previous Professional Experience (prior to present position)

• Research Analyst. Responsible for training School Support Services Facilitators in Auckland and Northland in inquiry
• Researcher-developer in Schooling Improvement Cluster (Mangere Analysis and Use of Student Achievement Data initiative). Responsible for programme development and evaluation.