Tom Nicholson, Prof. Emeritus, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand

Email - t [dot] nicholsonmassey [dot] ac [dot] nz --Mobile +6421 1085 923

Academic bio

ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3211-5788

Personal - Married, live in Auckland, New Zealand - hobbies are walking, cafes, art galleries, movies.

Short academic bio -

I was born in Sydney and have lived for many years in New Zealand. Before becoming an academic, I worked part-time as a kitchen hand through high school and university — work that taught me persistence long before research did.  My academic journey took me from University of Sydney to University of Minnesota, where I completed my PhD under Professors Robert Dykstra and David Pearson. Along the way, I spent time as a visiting scholar at institutions, including Stanford University and University of Texas at Austin.  My first professional role was as a high school teacher in Sydney, followed by work as an educational research officer in South Australia. I later taught at three New Zealand universities: University of Waikato, University of Auckland, and Massey University, retiring in 2018. My years at Waikato helped shape me as a teacher and researcher, while gaining a personal chair at Auckland was one of the highlights of my academic career.  Much of my research focused on literacy and reading development. My most controversial work, conducted during the late 1980s and early 1990s, challenged the widely held belief that skilled readers depend heavily on context clues to identify words. My studies showed that proficient readers relied primarily on strong decoding skills, while struggling readers depended more on context because they had not yet “cracked the code.” This work was reported in Education Week and Science News and became part of broader debates about reading instruction.  Following my research on the limited role of context cues in skilled reading, much of my later career focused on advocating for stronger phonics-based approaches to literacy instruction, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although these ideas were often contested at the time, New Zealand has since shifted toward structured literacy approaches that place greater emphasis on phonics instruction. I hope my research and public advocacy contributed in some small way to that shift.  Beyond university work, one of the most meaningful parts of my career was a decade-long after-school and summer reading project for children needing additional literacy support. 

Recent publication -

Nicholson, T. (2025). Teaching literacy effectively in the modern classroom for ages 9-12. Routledge.