“The value is enormous — It’s priceless i think!” New Zealand preschool teachers’ understandings of the early childhood curriculum in New Zealand — A comparative perspective

Abstract

This article examines a group of New Zealand preschool teachers' perspectives on their early childhood curriculum -Te Whãriki: He Whãriki Maatauranga mo ngaa Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 1996). In this discussion we focus on the teachers' understandings of the meaning, value and focus of this curriculum document. This is part of a small-scale qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with eight and nine preschool teachers undertaken in each of three countries -Norway, Sweden and New Zealand (during 1999-2002). We conclude this article with a comparative discussion of some of the similarities and differences between the three countries. RÉSUMÉCet article porte sur les opinions d'un groupe d'enseignants du préscolaire de Nouvelle-Zélande sur le programme d'éducation préscolaire Te Whãriki: He Whãriki Maatauranga mo ngaa Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministry of Education, 1996). Dans cette discussion nous nous concentrons sur la compréhension des enseignants du sens, de la valeur et du coeur de ce programme. Ceci constitue une partie d'une étude qualitative à petite échelle, basée sur des entretiens en profondeur avec huit ou neuf enseignants du préscolaire et menée dans trois pays: la Norvège, la Suède et la Nouvelle-Zélande (de 1999 à 2002. Nous terminons cet article par une discussion comparative de certaines similarités et différences entre les trois pays. RESUMENEste artículo examina las perspectivas de un grupo de profesores Neo Zelandeses de preescolar con respecto a sus programas de estudio de educación temprana -Te Whãriki: He Whãriki Maatauranga mo ngaa Mokopuna o Aotearoa (Ministerio de Educación, 1996). La discusión se concentra en el entendimiento de los maestros sobre el significado, valor y enfoque del programa de estudio. Esta discusión es parte de un estudio cualitativo de pequeña escala basado en entrevistas detalladas con ocho o nueve profesores de preescolar, las cuales se llevaron a cabo en tres países -Noruega, Suecia y Nueva Zelanda durante 1999-2002. El artículo concluye con una discusión comparativa de algunas similitudes y diferencias entre los tres países.

Discourses of the Early Years Learning Framework: Constructing the Early Childhood Professional

“…An examination of the literature from countries such as New Zealand, Greece and England, where national early childhood curriculum documents have been implemented, indicates that the perceived benefits include providing a 'shared framework of guiding principles' (Oberhuemer, 2005 p. 30) and shared goals and visions for children (Alvestad & Duncan, 2006;Sofou & Tsafos, 2010). This universal language better enables parents' understandings of the early childhood curriculum and provides a 'reference point for professional discourses' (Nuttall & Edwards, 2007, p. 12).…”

“…There is some evidence to suggest that this shared language might also contribute to improving the status of the early childhood profession. The introduction of the New Zealand early childhood curriculum (Te Whāriki) established a unified language that helped to make the work of early childhood teachers more visible to others, contributing to the formation of a New Zealand early childhood professional identity (Alvestad & Duncan, 2006). In qualitative studies in both New Zealand and Greece (involving 11 teachers in the Greek study and 9 in the New Zealand study), teachers working with national curriculum documents believed they enhanced the status of the early childhood profession because, as one Greek teacher put it, it 'codified' everyday activities and this provided 'confirmation of her professional work' (Sofou & Tsafos, 2010, p. 415).…”

“…While both Sofou & Tsafos (2010) and Alvestad & Duncan (2006) found that the teachers in their studies used curriculum documents to guide their practice, closer analysis in the Greek context illustrated that the less experienced teachers were more likely to view the preschool curriculum as necessary and indispensable to their work than those teachers with more experience, who sometimes did not use the document at all (Sofou & Tsafos, 2010). These findings suggest that curriculum documents may have a greater role in shaping the identities of new-career educators than in reshaping the identities of mid-and latecareer educators.…”

“…Concerns are also raised in the literature about the extent to which state-controlled curricula, particularly those with detailed or prescriptive guidelines, might deprofessionalise early childhood practice (Alvestad & Duncan, 2006). The teachers in the Greek study emphasised the importance of the curriculum being flexible, allowing them to make the professional judgements necessary for the development of a curriculum responsive to their particular context (Sofou & Tsafos, 2010).…”

“…This study found that teachers 'made sense of a national curriculum text within complex and contradictory contexts and discourses' (Sofou & Tsafos, 2010, p. 419). Enhanced professionalism, where practitioners have exercised autonomy in making their own interpretations and curriculum decisions within a unifying framework, allows practitioners to take ownership of the curriculum (Oberhuemer, 2005;Alvestad & Duncan, 2006). Oberhuemer (2005) argues that early childhood educators need the opportunity to clarify their own thinking on professionalism, and to reposition themselves in ways that can accommodate the new expectations that come with new curriculum documents.…”