Project Outlines
Fleur Harris
Tena koutou
Ko tenei taku whakapapa
Ko Rangitoto taku maunga tapu
Ko Tamaki taku awa
No Tamaki Makaurau ahau
Ko Engari me Airana nga iwi o oku tupuna
Ko Harris taku whanau
Ko Fleur taku ingoa.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Re-Constructing the Assessed Maori Child
Our current construction of the Maori school child’s learning needs is based within a western cultural context in which some colonial discourses surround a deficit theory. At school entry Maori children are considered lacking in literacy and numeracy skills (Education Review Office, 2001; Gilmore, 1998). A heavyweight of colonial world view research confirms the poor literacy progress and low levels of learning performance for Maori children (Flockton and Crooks, 1997, 1999; Innocenti Report Card, 2002; Ministry of Education, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; Report of the Literacy Taskforce, 1999; Wagemaker, 1992; Wilkinson, 1998).
The discourse goes on to say that this in turn places Maori children at risk for school and beyond school failure. Statistics which are based on a western world view perpetuate this deficit theory (Bishop & Glynn, 1999). It is this construction of a deficit discourse related to the Maori child and his/her classroom learning needs that prompted my research topic, to seek alternative discourses.
I have focused in particular on the assessment practices used for narrative and phonological awareness abilities, language skills that are considered necessary for learning to read English, within the context of classroom learning.
This study is an exploration into how Maori children respond to literacy based language assessments for narratives and phonological awareness, in ways that consider their lived experiences and cultural practices; how their responses reflect the current understanding and construction of the Maori child’s identity as a learner in the classroom and their learning needs; and the possibilities for alternative discourses about how Maori children can be constructed as learners in their educational contexts.
Over a year, I immersed myself in two classrooms, in two Christchurch schools, as a participant-observer. I followed a group of twelve Maori children in a Church funded whanau class (ages 4.5 to 11 years), (decile 3), and a group of five Maori children in a Year 1 class (ages 5 to 6 years), State funded primary school (decile 2).
My research activities involved observations, video/audio recordings of the classroom learning context including: teacher-children interactions; classroom routines, rules and organization; and learning structures and organization. I also administered narrative and phonological awareness assessments at regular intervals; had conversations with children, parents, school personnel; visited the children’s homes; and accessed school records, documents related to Ministry of Education policies and the school history.
This work challenges our discourse about deficit for Maori children, the entrenched assessment practices that we use, the resulting targeted learning needs, and how we can better evaluate Maori children’s learning abilities with assessments that are more linguistically and culturally appropriate.
Jae Major
Identity construction of culturally and linguistically diverse children in the primary mainstream classroom
Jae
Major
Senior Lecturer
Christchurch College of Education
Ph: 345 8275 (wk)
jae.major@cce.ac.nz
Classrooms are sites of identity construction, for both teachers and students, and the complexity of this often hidden aspect of classroom life is greatly increased when cultural and linguistic diversity is considered. In the New Zealand context, the increasing diversity of student populations has meant that classrooms have become complex sites of intersecting and conflicting discourses that work to shape student identities.
This study investigates the processes by which the identities of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children in the primary mainstream classroom are constructed. This includes the ways in which these children position themselves and how they are positioned by other children and the teacher. The study uses Bourdieu’s notions of habitus, capital and field as a framework to explore the role of language, interaction and power relations in the process of identity construction. The specific questions addressed are:
- What identities are constructed by and for CLD children in the primary mainstream classroom?
- How do CLD children position themselves, and how are they positioned by others (children and teacher) in the classroom context?
- How do the social and cultural processes of language acquisition and interaction (both verbal and non-verbal) shape identity?
- How do discourses of culture, ethnicity, and power in the classroom context shape identity?
The context for the study is two mainstream primary classrooms where there are children from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The study focuses on 8 children aged 9-10 years, 4 from each classroom context. Two schools have been selected to provide a contrast in terms of socio-economic status and ethnicity. A qualitative case study approach is being used, incorporating data gathered through classroom observation, video and audio-recording, and interviews. The method of classroom research developed by Nuthall and Alton-Lee has been used primarily in the exploration of teaching and learning in the classroom context. However, identity and culture intersect with the curriculum and children’s teaching and learning experiences, and thus warrant further investigation as to the part they play in children’s classroom experiences. I have utilised aspects of the Nuthall method of data collection to gather data that captures children’s interactions both public and private, verbal and non-verbal. Interactions between children, and children and teacher will be analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis to uncover the discourses and power relations apparent in the process of identity construction.
This study will provide a richer understanding of how culturally and linguistically diverse children experience mainstream classroom environments, and how identities are co-constructed within these environments. It is hoped that this knowledge will add to our understanding of teaching and learning and the complex variables that impact on this process.