supporting tiriti-based curriculum delivery in mainstream early ...

the centre as the research was starting). Opportunities were given for participants
to ask questions and have them answered until there were no further comments
forthcoming. One way I addressed issues of collaboration was to ensure that from
the start there was consensus from each member of each case study to participate in
the research and that their participation was also voluntary. Cardno (2003) has
noted that “social research can be an intrusion, so it must be voluntary” (p. 57).
3.4.6 Voluntary Participation
An important principle of conducting ethical research is to ask participants
to be willingly engaged in the project. I was keen to ensure that this principle
operated in this research, but in hindsight I wondered if voluntary participation was
an illusion in Case Study One. Case Study One participants were from a group of
four privately-owned centres and I was a long-time friend of one of the owners, so
it may have been difficult for them to refuse to be involved. One staff member
voicing an objection would have been enough to stall the research. However, of
the four centres only one decided to pursue the invitation to find out more about the
research.
In preparation for selecting Case Study Two, four kindergartens were
invited by a Senior Teacher in their organisation to participate in the research. Two
of the four kindergartens decided not to pursue the matter. By this it could be
inferred that they had been offered a free choice in the decision; and accordingly,
that consent was given voluntarily by teachers in the Case Study Two kindergarten
when they agreed to participate.
However, I had concerns about coercion with Case Study Three, in that
the centre had been selected in a serendipitous manner when I unexpectedly met
the manager at a social occasion. I invited her to consider having the teachers of
the babies‟ section participate in the research, to which she agreed. Indeed she said
“They will. They will volunteer” (Tr, H: 13/02/09). That notwithstanding, I met
with the teachers during a session to introduce myself and the research. I
discovered I already knew two of the teachers, which helped in building trusting
relationships. The five teachers in the babies‟ section formally agreed to
participate and signed consent forms, and said they saw this as an opportunity to
develop their bicultural curriculum.
114