Early Childhood Folio vol. 26 no. 1 (2022)

In Aotearoa New Zealand, populations of Pacific peoples increased by 45% between 2006 and 2018 (Statistics New Zealand, 2018). Consequently, teachers need to be equipped with knowledge, skills, and resources to be able to respond to Pacific learners and communities appropriately and effectively. This article presents findings from a research project that identified 90 picturebooks featuring Pacific peoples and stories published since 2013, and analysed them for representations of Pacific… Read more

Te Whāriki promotes the use of te reo rangatira in English-medium early childhood education (ECE) settings. There is a growing body of work concerning the use of pukapuka pikitia (picturebooks) to support language learning, but there is very little, if any, research documenting how pukapuka pikitia can support te reo rangatira. This article presents a 4-week pilot study exploring the use of pukapuka pikitia with whānau, co-constructing strategies for transferring language learning into their… Read more

This study examined factors that influence and are influenced by the co-construction of pedagogical documentation by educators and children in early learning settings. Throughout a 6-month period, seven early childhood educators were asked to co-construct documentation with children and with a child audience in mind. Using interviews, questionnaires, site visits, document sampling, and a child focus group, data were collected and then analysed using a thematic-analysis approach within a… Read more

Children are active and creative mathematical learners in the early years. This article reports part of a Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project that investigated children’s mathematical activity at an early childhood centre and the first year of school. Teacher–researchers were from each site, and mathematical opportunities were identified in children’s play, based on their interests or from teacher provocations. Examples of children’s explorations are reported that illustrate… Read more

Immigrant families face many cultural and adjustment issues, including children’s engagement in early childhood education (ECE). Through research-based interviews, nine Indian parents shared their perceptions of their children’s experiences in New Zealand ECE. They identified positive experiences and concerns related to curriculum, language development, teacher’s attitudes, children’s participation, and EC centre operational hours. They offered recommendations including parents inquiring… Read more