Explorations of Democracy, Belonging and Relationships with Land

Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa New Zealand
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-032-97637-2
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 298 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 422 g

Reihe: Contesting Early Childhood

This groundbreaking book explores the interactions of three powerful concepts in early childhood education (ECE): early childhood settings as sites for democracy, belonging as a human need and basis for participation, and relationships with land. Through exemplars of pioneering practice, it renews thinking about democracy and broadens understanding of belonging in culturally diverse societies.

Drawing from three research projects undertaken with teachers as collaborators in 11 early childhood settings, the book showcases examples grounded in Aotearoa New Zealand's renowned bicultural curriculum, Te Whariki. It demonstrates how participatory design methodologies can reimagine the theory-practice nexus and privilege diverse voices often marginalized in traditional research settings. Woven throughout are "glimpses of hope" that illustrate new possibilities for pedagogical practice in the country's bicultural context. In a time marked by significant societal shifts and neoliberal pressures, the authors argue that layering and interweaving these three concepts enables the creation of innovative approaches to policy thinking and practice that challenge existing frameworks and advocate for public, democratic ECE systems.

This essential resource will interest postgraduate students, researchers, teachers, student teachers, early childhood managers and policy makers. It offers valuable insights for advanced students and practitioners of early childhood education seeking to understand democratic practice and belonging in diverse cultural contexts around the globe.

Zielgruppe

Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Mitchell, Linda

Kahuroa, Raella

Bateman, Amanda

Cowie, Bronwen

Kamenarac, Olivera

Khoo, Elaine

McMillan, Hoana

Rameka, Lesley

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Schulen, Schulleitung Kindergarten & Vorschule

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of figures

About the authors

Chapter co-author biographies

Series editors' foreword

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Introduction: Setting the scene

Theme 1: Democracy in education

Chapter 2: Democracy as a value and purpose for a public education system

Chapter 3: Early childhood education creating a democratic world

Chapter 4: Creating a democratic living philosophy

Chapter 5: Kohanga reo and transformational directions for education

Chapter 6: Teachers as democratic professionals and the child as citizen

Theme 2: Belonging, connections to others and the environment

Chapter 7: A human rights analysis of refugee resettlement and early childhood policy

Chapter 8: Powhiri – the traditional Maori ceremony of welcome as a process for supporting belonging

Chapter 9: Participation in cultural processes of food preparation and belonging

Chapter 10: Connecting homeland with early childhood settings: treasures from home as mediators of belonging for migrant and refugee children

Theme 3: Relationships with land

Chapter 11: Ko au te whenua, ko te whenua ko au – I am the land and the land is me

Chapter 12: Walking with young children to story and read the land

Chapter 13: Maunganui Kindergarten: developing connectedness with land and with people

Theme 4: Renewing the thinking and practice of democracy in researching early childhood education. Research as a palimpsest

Chapter 14. Crafint research partnerships for exploring pedagogical practice in Aotearoa New Zealand

Chapter 15. Research as a palimpsest: possibilities for research, pedagogy and policy

Glossary References for all chapters

Über Autor(innen)

Linda Mitchell is Retired Professor and Honorary Fellow at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Raella Kahuroa (Ngati Kahungungu) is a lecturer and researcher in early childhood education at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Amanda Bateman is Professor of Early Years at Birmingham City University, England, having worked at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Bronwen Cowie is Emeritus Professor at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Olivera Kamenarac is Senior Lecturer in Education at Southern Cross University, Australia, after working at Te Whare Wananga, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Elaine Khoo is Associate Professor at the Institute of Education at Massey University, New Zealand, after working at Te Whare Wananga, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Hoana McMillan (Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Porou, Ngati Kahungunu) is a lecturer and kaupapa Maori researcher at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Lesley Rameka (Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Tukorehe) has recently retired from her roles as a Senior Research Fellow and kaupapa Maori researcher at Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, University of Waikato, in Aotearoa New Zealand.