Arkhipenka, Volha (PhD alumna)

{December 2020} Volha Arkhipenka gained her doctorate in 2017 and is now an Associate Lecture in Education in the Department of Education at the University of York. Profile.

My name is Volha Arkhipenka and I am a finalIMG_0425 year PhD student. Being originally from Belarus, I came to Manchester in 2013 to research professional development of English language teachers. Prior to that, I graduated from Belarus State University with a degree in Language and Culture Studies and did a master’s degree in Education: Language at the University of Edinburgh. I also taught English in Turkey for some time. Now, within my PhD research, I focus on professional development of English language teachers on MA TESOL course at the University of Manchester. Using narrative methodology, I explore the meanings that the teachers make of their professional development within the timeframe of the programme. By doing so, I aim to get a better understanding of professional development of English language teachers on post-experience professional development courses. I expect such understanding to form a valuable insight for the practice of educating post-experience TESOL practitioners.

4 comments

  • Mariam Attia
    15/05/2013 22:42

    Hi Volha,

    Welcome to the LTE doctoral community. I hope you will have a very fruitful and productive time here. Please feel free to contact me regarding flat search. I have learned a lot from going through this experience myself. In fact, I think I can now write a book on the pleasures and pains of searching for a flat in Manchester 😎

    My email is mariam.attia@manchester.ac.uk

  • Volha Arkhipenka
    15/05/2013 21:16

    And yes, I will be very grateful if someone could advise me on when and how to search for an accommodation in Manchester!

  • Volha Arkhipenka
    15/05/2013 21:14

    Yes, I think I should explain it. I know people get confused by Volha/Olga and do not know how to call me.

    But actually Volha and Olga are the same name transliterated differently from different languages. As I said, I am from Belarus and we have two state languages over there. They are Russian and Belorussian. In everyday life we usually use Russian and in Russian my name is pronounced as Olga with soft l in the middle. But in official documentation it is Belorussian that is mostly used. According to pronunciation rules of Belorussian, you can’t start a word with an /o/. You need to add a /v/ before it. Also, in contrast to russian /g/, belorussian one is pronounced deeper in the throat so it is shown as /h/ in transliteration from Belorussian into English. So, this is how my name Olga turned into Volha in my passport.

    Now back to the main question about how you should call me. The answer is very simple. It doesn’t matter. I am used to both variations of my name!

  • Richard Fay
    14/05/2013 22:31

    Welcome Volha !! Maybe you can help us all out and explain the Volha / Olga name choice?

    Also, Volha is looking for advice about renting flats in Manchester – anyone got some wise words of what to avoid and what to embrace options-wise?