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

Design
(1999, p. 176) note that “the logic of survey research is that many people answer
the same question so that the researcher can see what patterns might exist within
the kinds of answers given”. Statistics can quickly be generated in this way, as
information can be reduced to a few words, a number, or a tick in a box. This
reduces data, thus facilitating simple descriptive interpretation of aggregated
responses. As I was interested in understanding measures such as the frequency of
implementing aspects of Tiriti-based curriculum, a questionnaire was the most
appropriate method. The design of surveys requires careful planning, if only
because respondents may not answer questions they perceive to ask “threatening or
sensitive information” (Alreck & Settle, 1995, p. 7).
Davidson and Tolich (1999) urge designers of questionnaires to pay
attention to the order, format, answer options, and instructions provided.
Wadsworth (1997) agrees, as she says a good “questionnaire is clear, attractive,
accessible, informative and BRIEF” (Wadsworth, 1997, p. 48 emphasis in the
original). The survey used in this study was designed with these criteria in mind.
The survey comprised of 15 questions, of which 5 explored demographic
characteristics of the sample (see Appendix A). Specifically, respondents were
asked to share their ethnicity including whether or not they had been born in
Aotearoa New Zealand, and, if they were not Aotearoa New Zealand-born, they
were asked to designate for how long they had lived in the country. They were also
asked about the length of time they had worked in the early childhood sector and
information was sought about their qualifications. These questions enabled me to
split the data and this was consistent with Alreck and Settle‟s assertion (1995, p.
24) that identifiable groups can be checked to see if they “behave in similar ways”
(p. 24) across demographic variables.
In addition because of the “flexibility, economy, and ease of composition”
(Alreck & Settle, 1995, p. 117) that attach to the use of Likert scales, four items
employing this measure were included in the questionnaire. Each item asked
respondents to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with Tiriti-
based statements on a 1 to 5 point scale. Davidson and Tolich (1999) recommend
the five-point scale “because it is hard to describe more positions in meaningful
English and because most people can‟t discern beyond five positions (especially if
134