The titles, authors and abstracts for papers published in the NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Volume 26, 2024 are shown below.
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Articles published in Volume 26, 2024
Impact of Food-Related Choking Prevention Guidance on the Food Environment in Early Childhood Education
Leanne Young, Sarah Agar, Bridget Chiwawa, and Sarah Gerritsen
Abstract
Young children are at risk of choking on food. In 2020, the New Zealand Ministry of Education mandated food-related choking guidance for licensed early childhood education (ECE) services. Prior to implementation there was concern about the guidelines from some parts of the ECE sector. A survey was conducted to assess the impact on food access and nutrition practices in centres. Survey data was collected from centre managers using an online questionnaire in four regions across New Zealand. Responses are presented using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended questions. Survey responses were received from centre managers of 179 centres (17%). The survey showed that changes were made in response to the new guidance to food provision, staff duties and supervision of children, and to the centre’s connection with whānau (family) through events and celebrations. The guidelines raised awareness of choking prevention and resulted in changes aligned with the recommended actions. However, some changes adversely impacted the food environment e.g., less access to onsite vegetable gardens, removal of fresh fruit and vegetables from menus, and learning opportunities about food. There is a need for education on how to adopt food safety practices within the context of growing food onsite and continuing family/cultural celebrations. The guidelines need to be clear and practical for ECE services to implement.
Key words: Food-related choking prevention; early childhood education; food environment, young children; food policy, food, kaupapa-policy; whānau-family group; kai-food; māra kai-gardening for food; tikanga-practices; tamariki-children; kanohi ki te kanohi-face to face.
Full reference: Young, L., Agar, S., Chiwawa, B., and Gerritsen, S. (2024). Impact of food-related choking prevention guidance on the food environment in early childhood education. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 1-13.
Colouring outside the lines: Re-exploring the teacher’s role in visual arts learning in early childhood
Sarah Probine
Abstract
Teachers can be powerful influences on how young children experience the visual arts. It is often teachers who make choices about when, where, and how children will experience the visual arts in early childhood education. This paper explores an interpretivist, qualitative research project that examined the visual arts experiences of young children (aged 3-4) at three early childhood settings in Auckland, New Zealand. This paper focuses on the experiences and visual arts pedagogies of the teachers who participated in this study. In response to the literature, which suggests that many early childhood teachers continue to experience uncertainty around their roles as teachers of the arts, settings where the visual arts were deeply valued within the curriculum, were purposively selected. The rationale for selecting settings that valued this domain was to determine what factors and choices had enabled these settings to develop a rich visual arts curriculum for children. The study aimed to discover what influences had shaped teachers’ visual arts pedagogies, and how this impacted young children’s learning through the visual arts. The research found that when teachers nurture their own visual arts knowledge and confidence, both personally and professionally, they are equipped to engage authentically with children’s visual arts making and make intentional and creative choices about visual arts curriculum and pedagogy.
Key words: Visual arts pedagogy, early childhood education, co-construction, co-artists.
Full reference: Probine, S. (2024). Colouring outside the lines: Re-exploring the teacher’s role in visual arts learning in early childhood. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 14 -29.
Barriers to and facilitators of inclusion and equity for teachers with disabilities in early childhood education: Advancing the conversation in Aotearoa New Zealand
Kerry Purdue, Veronica Griffiths, Erin Hall, Derek Hartley, Fleur Hohaia-Rollinson, Jenny Malcolm, Jackie Solomon, Alice Tate, & Donna Williamson-Garner
Abstract
In April 2023, we initiated a kōrero/conversation about the rights of kaiako/teachers with disabilities in early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand. We noted that national research regarding the training and workforce experiences of disabled kaiako/teachers in ECE was limited. Accordingly, we wanted to find out more about what constitutes quality learning, teaching, and workplace environments for disabled kaiako/teachers, what their inclusion and exclusion experiences are, and the implications of these experiences for their rights, sense of belonging, and wellbeing.
We invited disabled kaiako/teachers who were either training and/or working in ECE to share their experiences by completing an open-ended questionnaire delivered online via Survey Monkey. The 56 respondents shared their positive and negative experiences with us. In this article, we share insights gained into the barriers to and facilitators of inclusion and equity in initial teacher education (ITE) and ECE for disabled kaiako/teachers. We also offer some recommendations for the ITE and ECE sector about what needs to be done to ensure an equitable and inclusive teaching sector for this group of kaiako/teachers both now and in the future.
Key words: Disabled teachers, disability, inclusion, equity.
Full reference: Purdue, K., Griffiths, V., Hall, E., Hartley, D., Hohaia-Rollinson, F., Malcolm, J., Solomon, J., Tate, A. & Williamson-Garner, D. (2024). Barriers to and facilitators of inclusion and equity for teachers with disabilities in early childhood education: Advancing the conversation in Aotearoa New Zealand. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 30 – 44.
Decolonising early childhood education: An Indigenous Fijian perspective
Sainimili Nabou, Jacoba Matapo, and Tafili Utumapu-McBride
Abstract
This paper is based on the first phase of a doctoral research study that aimed to decolonise early childhood education (ECE) in Fiji. The review of literature undertaken in this phase highlights the need to prioritise Indigenous Fijian values and aspirations in educating Indigenous Fijian children and indicates ways in which ECE can contribute to the broader decolonisation of education. From 1990 to the late 2000s, ECE in Fiji, largely influenced by Western knowledge and ways of thinking, became formalised in schooling. Noting that the doctoral research is to be conducted using an Indigenous Fijian methodology known as veiwasei yaga (sharing meaningful ideas) as well as Talanoa discussions and the Fijian Vanua Research approach, the article emphasises literature that indicate the importance of understanding Indigenous Fijian viewpoints to the successful delivery of early childhood development, care, well-being, and education. The literature strongly suggests that recognising and incorporating Indigenous Fijian knowledge and methods of knowing into ECE is vital for broader acceptance of and integration into this learning environment. Through its presentation of the significance of Indigenous Fijian community cultural knowledge, concepts, customs and collective goals, both in general and as they relate to early childhood education, this first phase of the study lays a foundation for the investigation of the relevant perceptions of the people of the village of Dromuna in Viti Levu, Fiji.
Key words: Decolonisation, early childhood education, Indigenous Fijian childhood, Fijian Vanua Research, Talanoa.
Full reference: Nabou, S., Matapo, J., & Utumapu-McBride, T. (2024). Decolonising early childhood education: An indigenous Fijian perspective. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 45- 55.
An evaluation of parent/whānau satisfaction with Autism NZ’s early support programme, EarlySteps
Thecla Kudakwashe Moffat, Neil Alexander Stuart, Helen Fitzgerald, Daniel Shepherd, and Lee Patrick
Abstract
EarlySteps was the first autism specific NZ early support (formerly known as ‘early intervention) programme. Research on the provision of early support tells us that early diagnosis of autistic children maximises developmental outcomes and reduces or prevents secondary behaviours, such as regression. Early support can reduce parental stress, increase acceptance of diagnosis earlier, and increase children ability to manage challenges later in life. This practitioner-led evaluation of the EarlySteps programme sought to understand the impact it had on parents and families with autistic children under the age of six and to identify improvements that could be made to the programme. Parents from 12 families who had participated in all aspects of the EarlySteps programme were interviewed and completed questionnaires. The results indicate satisfaction with the programme in relation to the quality of support provided, partnership, education programmes provided, focus for support plan (FFSP), play sessions and transitions to school support. Future research could identify the barriers for families to participation in certain aspects of the programme, the experience for Māori and Pacifica families and comparing the experience of families within an autism specific service to that of a generic additional needs programme.
Key words: Autistic children, autism, play, parent education, school transition, playdates.
Full reference: Moffat, T.K., Stuart, N.A., Fitzgerald, H., Shepherd, D. & Patrick, L. (2024). An evaluation of parent/whānau satisfaction with Autism New Zealand’s early support programme, EarlySteps. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 56- 68.
Early childhood teacher engagement with place-based education: Professional learning at the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre
Gillian Postlewaight
Abstract
This article explores the second cycle of an action research project, undertaken to determine how to support local early childhood education [ECE] settings to utilise the nature-based education space, the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre [ŌOLC], at Te Aho a Māui Eastern Institute of Technology [EIT] in the Hawke’s Bay (NZ). The first cycle of the research involved a focus group to introduce local early childhood kaiako (teachers) to the space and to ascertain the possibilities and opportunities for them to make use of the location with tamariki (children) to facilitate place-based education (PBE). This second cycle examined the professional learning experiences provided to the focus group to increase their knowledge and confidence to facilitate appropriate and inclusive nature and place-based experiences with tamariki. Two professional learning workshops enabled participant kaiako to familiarise themselves with the ŌOLC space through the sharing of whakapapa (genealogy) and pūrākau (historical stories) of the rohe (region), and to experience possible approaches for place- based teaching and learning. Although this is a small-scale research project, the value of the experiential learning about PBE, and the need for kaiako professional learning is evident from the participant discussion, reflection and feedback. Participants recognised this pedagogical approach and its relationship to bicultural practice, honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and building local curriculum as a foundation of authentic practice.
Key words: Kaiako, action-research, professional learning, place-based education, kaupapa Māori (customary practice, approaches), pūrākau, learning in nature, play.
Full Reference: Postlewaight, G. (2024). Early childhood teacher engagement with place-based education: Professional learning at the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 69-83.
On a joyful note: The practice of attending to joy for educator wellbeing
Olivia Karaolis and Cathy Little
Abstract
Do early childhood educators experience joy in their work with young children? Is early childhood education a joyful profession or is joy all but lost? These questions have guided a recent study by researchers from the University of Sydney, exploring the perception and concept of joy in early childhood education. Through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods, including in depth interviews and observations, educators shared with us the presence of joy in their work with children and with one another. The findings suggest that educator wellbeing may be enhanced through the practice of joy and has implications for teaching practices and policy.
Key words: Early childhood educators, wellbeing, workplace, working conditions, emotion, professional learning, professional support.
Full Reference: Karaolis, O. and Little, C. (2024). On a joyful note: The practice of attending to joy for educator wellbeing. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 26, pp. 84-88
