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The journal is indexed in Scopus and available internationally through Informit, as well as through New Zealand tertiary libraries and many university libraries internationally.
The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 2026, Volume 28, No. 1 are shown on this page. Click the article link to go to the full published article.
FULL REFERENCE: Füss, M. (2026). The act and art of noticing, wondering, searching for meaning, and remaining open to beauty. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 28(1), 1-5.
ABSTRACT: This commentary explores aesthetic education as a way of being within contemporary early childhood education. Drawing on Maxine Greene’s philosophy of aesthetic education and reflections from Priscilla, an experienced artist-educator, it considers how attentiveness, curiosity, imagination, and creative expression might sustain educators within professional contexts increasingly shaped by standards, accountability, and measurement. Priscilla’s stories illuminate aesthetics not simply as engagement with the Arts, but as an ongoing openness to experience, possibility, relationship, and becoming. The commentary argues that aesthetic education begins with educators themselves: with cultivating the capacity to notice, wonder, search for meaning, and remain open to beauty within everyday life. Rather than calling for dramatic transformation, it invites educators to attend to what may have grown quiet within their own lives and practices.
In doing so, aesthetic education offers a way of reconnecting with the curiosity, expression, and sense of possibility that educators seek to nurture in children.
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KEY WORDS: Arts, aesthetic education, teaching practice, creativity.
INTRODUCTION:
When was the last time you danced? Not for an audience or an event, but simply because the pulsating rhythms welled up within you and compelled you to move. Perhaps it was yesterday. Perhaps you have not truly let loose on a dance floor in years.
Early childhood educators are known for their pedagogical skills in nurturing children’s creativity, imagination, and capacity for expression within their early childhood programmes (Giamminuti, 2013; Karaolis & Little). Through carefully chosen phrases, glances, and expressions, educators can encourage the children in their care to dance as if no one is watching. Yet I wonder, as you read these words, whether you genuinely consider the place of such experiences or expressions in your daily life as professional practice?
FULL REFERENCE: Tiko, L. and Mosen. J. (2026). Advancing climate-smart pedagogies in Fiji’s early childhood education and development. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 28(1), 6-19.
ABSTRACT: This commentary explores the imperative of embedding climate-smart education within Fiji’s Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) sector, in response to the nation’s increasing vulnerability to climate change. It critically examines current ECED policies and practices, highlighting gaps in climate responsiveness and the need for locally grounded solutions. Drawing on Indigenous Fijian knowledge systems, including vanua-centered pedagogies (context-centered) and the Framework of Gifting Knowledge, the commentary advocates for a culturally relevant and climate-conscious approach to early education. It argues that empowering Fijian educators and communities to lead climate-smart ECED initiatives is essential for fostering resilience among young children. The commentary also critiques the reliance on external agencies and calls for a shift towards Fijian/Pacific-led strategies that align with Fiji’s national development goals and cultural values. By centering Indigenous epistemologies and climate justice, this paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable and equitable early childhood education in small island developing states.
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Key words: Climate-smart education, Indigenous epistemologies, Pacific-led resilience, climate change, child health, place-based education, nature-based, teacher education.
INTRODUCTION: Fiji, like many Pacific Island nations, faces significant climate vulnerabilities, including rising sea levels, severe weather events, and ecosystem changes that directly affect communities and children (Janif et al., 2016; IPCC, 2021). In this context, Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) plays a vital role in building climate resilience and adaptive capacity. However, Fiji’s ECED policies and practices have yet to fully adopt climate-smart education frameworks that are both culturally grounded and locally driven (UNESCO, n.d.; Hemstock et al., 2020).
This commentary advocates reimagining ECED in Fiji by integrating climate-conscious pedagogy informed by Indigenous knowledge systems, such as vanua-centered learning and traditional ecological knowledge (Ali et al., 2025; Vunibola et al., 2024). It criticises reliance on external models and promotes a shift toward Pacific-led approaches that support Fiji’s development objectives, including the Climate Change Act 2021 and the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific. By emphasising Indigenous epistemologies and community engagement, climate-smart ECED can serve as a transformative tool for fostering sustainable futures in Fiji.
FULL REFERENCE: Azizah, N., Ferdian, D., Ma’ruf, T.L.H., Maddini, S.A., and Juhari, F. (2026). Providing nutrition pedagogically: Evaluating a responsive feeding intervention programme for early childhood teachers. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 28(1), 21-38
ABSTRACT: This study examined the impact of a responsive feeding workshop for early childhood teachers participating in Indonesia’s free nutritious meals programme. A mixed-methods design was used to assess whether embedding responsive feeding principles within a corporate social responsibility (CSR) nutrition initiative could enhance teacher knowledge, attitudes, and classroom practices. Twenty-one teachers from five early childhood education (ECE) centres in Kalimantan attended a two-day workshop and completed pretest–post-test measures of responsive feeding knowledge and attitudes, along with qualitative reflections on classroom application. Findings indicated meaningful gains in teachers’ understanding and confidence in applying responsive feeding principles. Teachers reported increased empathy during mealtimes, greater alignment between school and home feeding practices, and more culturally responsive menu adaptations. These outcomes suggest that teacher capacity building can bridge the gap between nutrition access and child-centred pedagogy, fostering autonomy and emotional connection during mealtimes. Embedding responsive feeding within CSR-supported nutrition programmes offers a promising model for integrating health, education, and socio-emotional development in early childhood contexts.
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KEY WORDS: Responsive feeding; teacher professional development; nutrition; pedagogy; corporate social responsibility; Indonesia; mixed-methods study.
INTRODUCTION
Early childhood is a critical period for foundational development in physical growth, cognitive capacities, emotional regulation, and social behaviour. Among the determinants of healthy early childhood development, nutrition plays a dual role: not only the provision of adequate macro- and micronutrients, but also the manner in which feeding occurs (Engle et al., 2011; World Health Organization, 2020). Early childhood educators (ECEs) are pivotal in shaping children’s eating behaviours when children are in early childhood settings, through their daily routines, mealtime interactions, modelling, and responsive practices. They influence children’s relationship with food, appetite regulation, and long-term dietary habits well beyond childhood.
In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the emphasis in nutrition interventions tends to favour ensuring food availability, fortification, supplementation, or meal provision (Food and Agriculture Organization et al., 2019). While these are necessary, they may not be sufficient. The behavioural dimension of feeding – how caregivers or educators respond to children’s signals of hunger and satiety; how they manage emotional aspects during meals; and how coercion, pressure, or negative reinforcement are avoided – is often less attended to. This dimension, commonly known as responsive feeding, has been shown in many contexts to be associated with improved dietary variety, better self-regulation, reduced risk of overweight, and better psychosocial outcomes (Black & Aboud, 2011).
FULL REFERENCE: Song, J., Li, W. & He, X. (2026). Teacher-child verbal interaction in kindergarten picture book teaching activities. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 28(1), 39-52.
ABSTRACT: Teacher-child verbal interaction is fundamental to children’s language development and cognitive growth. This mixed-methods study examines the patterns and quality of such interaction during picture book teaching activities in a Chinese kindergarten. Using improved Flanders Interaction Analysis System (iFLAS) and Teacher Scheme for Educational Dialogue Analysis (T-SEDA), 16 picture book sessions involving four teachers (two novices, two experienced) were analysed across six dimensions. Four key findings emerged. First, interaction remains teacher-dominated: teacher talk accounts for 64.45% of verbal exchanges, and the Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) pattern prevails. Second, teachers show positive emotional support and prefer open-ended questioning, yet higher-order dialogue is limited. Third, pedagogical silence is minimal (0.97%) and child-initiated turns are rare (11.09%). Fourth, four distinct teacher profiles emerged – from “open-exploratory” to “generative-responsive”- revealing significant individual variability in scaffolding practices. These findings suggest that picture book reading can foster children’s agency and cognitive engagement, but this potential is constrained by teacher-directed routines. The study offers recommendations for professional development, emphasising teachers’ role as dialogue facilitators and the need for conditions that support children’s active participation in co-constructing knowledge.
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KEY WORDS: Teacher-child interaction, picture books, teacher talk, oral language, language development, cognitive growth, educational dialogue, iFLAS, T-SEDA.
INTRODUCTION
Language is not merely a tool for cognitive construction but serves as the core medium for children’s social interaction. The World Bank (2021) emphasises that language is vital for children’s subsequent learning, development, and human capital accumulation. This macro-consensus is reflected in global early childhood curriculum frameworks. For instance, New Zealand’s Te Whāriki identifies “Communication” (Mana Reo) as a key pillar, emphasising children’s meaning-making through rich symbolic environments (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2017). Against this backdrop, the picture book with its unique literary genre combining text and imagery provides an ideal vehicle for children to understand the world and experience aesthetic value. Building upon this, picture book reading and discussion activities are validated as a critical pedagogical approach for fostering children’s linguistic competencies in early childhood settings (Noble et al., 2019).
However, the educational value of picture book teaching is highly dependent on the quality of teacher-child verbal interaction. Recent empirical evidence underscores that the strategic use of storybooks as scaffolding tools can significantly enhance the depth of teacher-child dialogue and children’s cognitive engagement (Aktulun et al., 2024). Nevertheless, a persistent gap remains between these pedagogical ideals and actual classroom practice. The prevalent Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) pattern inherently reinforces teacher control by dominating conversational turns and evaluating responses, thereby restricting children’s opportunities for sustained dialogue (Houen et al., 2026). To address these challenges, it is essential to move beyond theoretical advocacy and scrutinise the specificity of classroom practice.
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