Pasifika early childhood educators’ understandings and beliefs about Pasifika visual languages and cultures in the ECE curriculum: implications for teaching and learning

Abstract

This thesis is a small scale piece of qualitative research exploring the beliefs and understandings of Pasifika early childhood educators in reference to Pasifika visual languages and cultures within early childhood education. The intention of this study was to increase the awareness of the current state of Pasifika visual languages and cultures within the early childhood curriculum. Of equal importance was the impact teachers’ views have towards the teaching and learning of young children. The arts education curriculum is an area that is often neglected and treated as an oversight within many educational settings. Many who strive towards the implementation of the arts within their early childhood settings or within schooling systems have been met with ambiguity and conflicting views concerning its role and place within the context of teaching and learning. Such concerns are intensified when considered within Pasifika early childhood services. Te Whāriki, Aotearoa New Zealand’s national early childhood curriculum (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996b) promotes the exploration of all art forms, drawing attention to valuing “….the arts, crafts, weaving, stitching, carving….” from diverse cultures and communities (p. 80). Teachers have a responsibility to ensure that children encounter an environment where they are encouraged to “discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive” (MoE, 1996b, p. 80). However, this thesis argues that unless teachers make a deliberate and conscious effort to ascertain what this means to them and consider how these experiences are afforded to young children, the arts will remain invisible within the early childhood curriculum and within early childhood educational settings. A close examination warranted the need to consider how Pasifika imagery, traditional arts and crafts, Pasifika histories, visual languages and cultures are understood, expressed and incorporated within Te Whāriki (MoE, 1996b). The use of Pasifika research methodologies, metaphors and cultural frameworks underpinned this study. Teu le va (Anae, 2010a) was used to describe the ways in which the interactions and relationships between the researcher and research participants and with each other, occur when engaged in professional dialogue. This also functioned as a means to protect and nurture such relationships within a safe, secure, spiritual and meaningful space. The concepts of Talanoa (Vaioleti, 2006), Tutala (Sperlich, 1997) and Tuatua (Te Ava, Airini & Davies, 2011) were incorporated to explain the kinds of conversations that could and can occur and their justification is deemed as being of great importance when undertaking any research that involves Pacific people. The notion of ‘Aga fakaNiue’ was introduced in this study to describe and locate the researcher. This was used as a guide to assist the researcher in her ability to remain authentic and to be, think and feel Niue. The findings identified that for some teachers in this study, limited depth of cultural knowledge and personal experiences of Pasifika visual languages and cultures was implicated in their teaching and learning. This in truth limited the kinds of experiences they could offer young children in their care. The need for a collective approach was highlighted to ensure that some of the traditional Pasifika arts and crafts are maintained. For some, this is a matter of extreme urgency. A profound sense of loss was highlighted concerns about what knowledge and information would be available for proceeding generations. It is envisaged that this study will contribute to an emerging dialogue among teachers which can inform culturally appropriate art education programmes for young children. This study provides a platform to redress the limited literature available to support teachers whose work may be predominately with Pasifika children and their families within general early childhood educational settings.