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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

This article explores early childhood teachers’ and leaders’ early responses to the release of the revised early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 2017), with a particular focus on teaching and assessment of literacy. The study involved a convergent mixed-method design. Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey of ...

Despite implementation of significant legislation and policy initiatives related to human rights and inclusive practices, children with disabilities can still experience discrimination and exclusion in multiple areas of their lives, including in early childhood education (ECE). Evidence of a gap between policies about inclusion and the reality of exclusionary practices ...

Teaching is a highly complex and political endeavour, and as teachers we need to be courageous as we support children to make sense of the increasingly complex and diverse societies that we live in. My doctoral research highlighted a number of issues related to teachers and curriculum. Te Whāriki, the ...