Early Childhood Folio vol. 24 no. 1 (2020)

Wellbeing and belonging are explored in this article through sociolinguistic interactional analysis of naturally arising conflict situations, captured ethnographically on video, and through analysis of teachers’ discussions during focus groups. Post-conflict analysis of child-led actions revealed children used numerous peace-making strategies to repair their peer relationships, showing relationships matter greatly for their wellbeing. Utilising the notion of a “trajectory of belonging… Read more

Children’s transition from an early childhood education setting to school needs to involve children and their families to best support the family in this time of change. This article focuses on a case study from doctoral research exploring the potential of Facebook™ to create a virtual community of practice to support children and their families’ transition to school. Analysis of data supported other research about online communities in relation to the stages of participation that families… Read more

This article presents the findings from a Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project where kaiako set out to develop and then explore ngā kōrero tuku iho as an assessment approach within kōhanga reo. Underpinned by kaupapa Māori research protocols, wānanga (discussions) were held with kaiako and whānau to evaluate the approach. The findings from wānanga with whānau are presented and discussed in this article, encouraging new ways of thinking about Mana whenua / Belonging within the context… Read more

This article draws from a 2-year TLRI-funded research project looking at how four early childhood centres constructed positive outcomes for children from migrant families. The research questions focused on how the people, places, and practices in early childhood settings support a sense of bicultural belonging to Aotearoa New Zealand, sustain children’s connections to homelands and people, and enable them to contribute important cultural aspects from their home country. This article focuses… Read more

From 2018 to 2020, teachers at Hillcrest Kindergarten in Hamilton have been working alongside a team of researchers from the University of Waikato in a TLRI-funded research project, “Strengthening belonging and identity of refugee and immigrant children through early childhood education”. The research aims to develop theories and practice strategies on how early childhood education (ECE) can enable refugee and immigrant families and children to construct positive outcomes for belonging and… Read more

This article discusses findings from research investigating ways teachers at one early childhood centre fostered children’s sense of belonging through making cultural connections with children and their families. The research is part of a University of Waikato project, funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI), “Strengthening belonging and identity of refugee and immigrant children through early childhood education”. Findings based on data collected from four case-study… Read more