Idea Transcript
Parents perspectives of language, culture and identity University of Waikato ECE Participation Programme Evaluation Stage one and two
Research question: How effectively have each of the initiatives and the participation programme overall addressed issues of identity, language and culture in the communities where the initiatives are being undertaken?
Parent interviews: • What do you need and hope for your child from ECE? What about for your family? What about in regards to your home language and culture? • How does [name centre/provider] show an interest in your family culture and home experiences? Is there anything more it might do?
Retaining language and culture: “For me my culture is important and growing up try to keep it going.” (Interview with SP parent)
• Power of learning and retaining language • Wanted better education for children • Fluency in both home culture and New Zealand culture
Language, culture and environment: “They do things together, • Many Pasifika whānau sing, pray and play. talked about the Always pray there. What I importance of the am teaching them at Church in their learning, home they are bringing home and family life. into their playgroup.” (Interview with SP Parent)
Language and cultural capital: Cultural capital acts as a social relation within a system of exchange that includes the accumulated cultural knowledge that enhances power and status
“I’d love for my girl to keep in touch with her reo. For me, just keeping in touch with our Māori our reo. Just keep in touch with that. And with Māori comes music. Like our girls have a lot of waiata.” (Home-based parent)
Language and employment: “I like English one (centre)—more better—‘cos the Samoan you can’t catch the job over here. You always speak English in the jobs over here.” (EPF parent)
• Long term employment • Engaging in New Zealand society • Long term education • Loss of language at home
Identity: “I go back to whakapapa and how important that is for these kids to know their whakapapa and be empowered by that.” (EPF Provider Interview)
• Families ‘losing their way’ • Build self esteem – Mana • Reclaim positive identity
Disconnected from identity: • Urbanisation of Māori “…you have whānau who don’t know what iwi or • Disconnected from iwi, hapū and extended hapū they belong to. They whānau. know they are Māori, and roughly where they are • 2 or 3rd generation urban from but have no identity in terms of knowing their whenua and knowing their reo and knowing tikanga.” (ILCC Provider interview)
Identity: “I am from up North, we have our Marae, they know where they come from and who they are. It’s important they know that or it will die, but that is my job.” (EPF parent)
Reclaiming positive identity: “It's about enhancing iwi and one thing we have looked at doing is going into the centre and working with them on their pepeha for the area of the centre.” (ILCC provider)
Funds of Knowledge: Historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills that are essential
“We are a Samoan speaking playgroup and the teachers are the parents.” (Supported Playgroup Mum and teacher)
Collective caregiving: “That is what is happening • Cultural practices in our Pasifika • Role of grandparents or communities—we don’t wider family unit pay anyone in our families • Fearful of strangers to look after our children. Part of our culture that we don’t pay our sisters to look after our children.” (Home-based provider)
Iwi, hapū, whānau: About enrollment: “…you need to bring it back and just talk about how Māori function. Its never an individual – it’s whānau, its hapū, its iwi, its everyone's decision” (EPF provider)
• Staff relationships with a wide whānau unit • Understand importance of collective caregiving • Responsiveness to diverse families.
ECE sector responsiveness: “What are you feeding to our Māori and Pasifika tamariki that’s not just ‘Māori day’ and ‘Pasifika day’ because I’m Māori all the time not just for one day.” (EPF Provider 2)
• Need to move beyond tokenism • Staff develop cultural competence • Responsive to community • Build and develop local knowledge • Engaging with parents and family
Cultural Responsiveness: Learning context involves partnerships based on shared collective collaboration
“One of the services has been fortunate to have a teacher who is really strongly connected to the marae, so they have had the kaumatua come in, and Whaea –built that strong relationship using the connections that teacher already had.” (ILCC provider interview)
Suggestions to improve responsiveness: • More professional development programmes on cultural understanding • Increased availability of Māori and Pasifika resources including books in a range of languages. • Increased and compulsory content on culture and language in teacher training courses. • Contact people in Ministry
“How do you really utilise the community currency?” (EPF provider)
Intergenerational relationships: • One parent wanted her child to attend a Tongan ECE centre so her child could communicate with his grandfather.
“You need to encourage whānau to come with what they have and have open doors for whānau. For example, Koro can come in and share his stories with the tamariki.” (EPF provider)
Cultural Capital: Cultural capital acts as a social relation within a system of exchange that includes the accumulated cultural knowledge that enhances power and status
“Tamariki and whānau walk in with a korowai wrapped around them from their Tūpuna that have come before them even if they do not know it. The initiative provides a space for this and tries to change deficit thinking.” (EPF Provider)
Initiative impact on identity, language and culture: Strengths: • Initial scoping of parents and providers perspectives • Acknowledging diversity • Rejection of deficit theories • Building family capacity through identity, language and culture • Recognizing community strengths
Challenges: • Centre responsiveness • Building teacher capacity • Breaking down barriers and ‘judgment’ • Tokenistic approach • Engaging with diverse families with wide family groups • Where and how does language, culture and identity fit in ECE services?
Further scoping: • Deeper look into parents & providers thoughts on language, culture and identity – What would this look like in centres? Examples – If language, culture and identity is not significant why?