An analysis of typical errors of young learners of te reo Maori

Abstract

In 1999, the New Zealand Ministry of Education commissioned the development of a draft proficiency test for learners of Māori in bilingual and immersion settings in Year 5 of schooling (aged 8 - 10). That test was, along with a range of survey materials, produced and piloted in a very short time - 13 weeks. Although it provided a starting point for further development of a proficiency battery, it did not prove sufficiently robust in itself to retain. What it did do, however, was provide a range of useful samples of the speaking and writing of Year 5 students (70 samples were collected from five different schools). These samples revealed a number of common errors, errors which were analysed and are discussed here.