Experiences of Indo-Fijian Teachers in New Zealand Early Childhood Education Settings

Abstract

This thesis reports the findings of a qualitative study that explored the experiences of eight qualified Indo-Fijian early childhood education (ECE) teachers in the New Zealand ECE settings. The study uses communities of practice (CoP) as a theoretical framework to make sense of the data. Central to the idea of CoP is the notion of legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) which focuses on examining a novice's trajectory of participation to becoming old-timers (experienced CoP members) (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). Informed by these key CoP ideas, the study considers the participants’ experiences as novices in their ECE settings. The qualitative phenomenology provided an avenue to gain a deep understanding of the participants' lived experiences. Pertinent to this study is the examination of participants' culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) characteristics and identities in influencing their LPP. The findings of this study show that experienced teachers’ support strongly influenced novice Fiji-Indian teachers' trajectories of participation. While most participants became legitimate peripheral participants in their CoP as novices, their relationships with experienced teachers and their CALD characteristics challenged their LPP in some ways. The findings show that the participants mainly felt supported by experienced CALD teachers. When participants were encouraged to use their CALD knowledge and languages to contribute to their ECE settings, their feelings of membership to the CoP were enhanced. When support by experienced teachers was not evident, including moments when participants’ legitimacy was questioned, participation in their CoP was more challenging. The findings illustrate the complex reciprocal relationships between Fiji-Indian ECE teachers’ CALD identities and their experiences in New Zealand ECE settings.