This article focuses on the powerful role of Samoan women sustaining the language and culture in Aotearoa. It presents findings from my Master’s thesis that explored the experiences of seven Samoan women who were involved in the establishment of three a’oga amata (Samoan early childhood centres) in Christchurch (Togiaso, 2017) ...

Early childhood education (ECE) settings in Aotearoa New Zealand are becoming increasingly ethnically superdiverse. This article draws on a research project that examined the cultural challenges that Japanese children sometimes encounter in New Zealand ECE contexts which was undertaken for my Doctor of Education. Data were analysed using a conceptual ...

This article presents findings from a doctoral study which examined the ways teaching teams in six New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) centres fostered and supported young children’s scientific experiences. The focus of this article is the pedagogical practice of using provocations to facilitate scientific opportunities. The way provocations fostered ...

Despite more than a century of academic scrutiny on parental discipline of children, parents’ use of positive discipline practices is not well understood. This article draws from a larger study (Southey, 2020) aimed at understanding the prosocial practices parents use to guide their children’s social, emotional, and behavioural development, and ...

He Taonga te Tamaiti, Every Child a Taonga: Early Learning Action Plan 2019–2029 (Ministry of Education, 2019) presents goals directed towards strengthening quality provision in early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand, including actions needed to attract and retain a diverse range of kaiako in the sector. Because “Kaiako ...

Excessive noise levels in early childhood centres have a direct impact on the learning of young children, as well as on the wellbeing of teachers. Psycho-acoustic studies show that noise is a key factor contributing to elevated adult stress levels and annoyance, leading to lower levels of adult sensitivity to ...

Working theories form an overarching learning outcome interdependent with learning dispositions in Te Whāriki. Working theories encompass children’s embodied, communicative, and social efforts to learn, think, and develop knowledge that enables children to participate effectively in their families, communities, and cultures. To support children’s learning and participation, kaiako are expected ...

This article analyses data from a study that explored the role of early childhood education in supporting a sense of belonging for immigrant children and families in Aotearoa New Zealand, whilst sustaining their connections with homes and homelands. We draw on teachers’ documentation of curriculum experiences, focus group discussions, and ...