Research

Qualified Teachers in Early Childhood Education: Laying the foundations for lifelong learning and success

Te Rito Maioha
The first 1,000 days of a child’s | tamaiti life are foundational for their future growth and learning. Early childhood education (ECE) has become part of the fabric of life, with an international trend of increased enrolments, especially for those under three years old. ECE plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s learning and developmental trajectory, demonstrated by a growing body of research across various disciplines, in particular paediatrics, education, and neuroscience (OECD, 2015).

The transition of refugee children from home to early childhood centres in New Zealand.

Dr Anoop Kumar
This article is one component of a doctoral study that explored six early childhood teachers’ experiences of working with culturally diverse refugee children and their families in an urban district of New Zealand. Specifically, this article focuses on how teachers supported the transition of refugee children from home to centres. Data were gathered using initial semistructured interviews, observations, and stimulated recall interviews. A constant comparative method was utilised to analyse the data and key themes were identified. The study found that teachers took initiatives such as having a key teacher to work with refugee children and families, using culturally appropriate greetings, having a cultural support person, some of whom could speak home languages of refugee families, and doing home visits, to support the transition of refugee children into their centres. A main argument is that gaining insights into the experiences and challenges of the refugee children is important before designing culturally appropriate pedagogies that may support the transition process.

Thinking deeply about poverty and teaching in early childhood education

Lesley Robinson
This article endeavours to inform early childhood education teachers about the issue of poverty. It draws on a body of literature to argue for the critical importance of teachers being reflective and reflexive in relation to children and families who face economic disadvantage. Furthermore, it contends that unless teachers are critically aware they can unwittingly contribute to the issues that are faced by families living in poverty.

Student and supervisor perspectives on engaging in collaborative thesis supervision as an online group

Tiffany Williams, Debbie Ryder, Mae Benfayed, Ranjani Lata & Shelley Auld
This teaching reflection explores a group thesis supervision process, where each member shared reflections on the purpose of the group, as well as the strengths and challenges of learning together. Perspectives were gathered from each member of the group who answered six open ended prompts. Reflections were expanded further, through candid conversations, which facilitated a shared analysis process (Cohen et al., 2018)

Unpacking a Puzzle of Practice: Supporting consistent, intentional and culturally responsive teaching to promote children’s social-emotional competence

Karen Mackay, Tara McLaughlin, & Monica Cameron
In this article, we describe a Teacher-Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project focused on enhancing early childhood social-emotional teaching practices, and share insights about intentional teaching. Over a two-year period, our project team used teacher-inquiry and reflective data tools to support and document changes in teachers’ use of effective practices to foster children’s social-emotional learning. Key findings highlighted shifts in teachers’ understanding of social-emotional competence. Additionally, teachers reported increased confidence and use of effective strategies to facilitate children’s social-emotional competence.