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

The number of questionnaires distributed at the convention was 264, and
of these, a total of 61 were returned, making a return rate of 23%, which is quite
low. Later a colleague who had picked up the questionnaire at the convention
asked permission to distribute this at a bicultural workshop she was leading. She
distributed and received a further 15 questionnaires, which meant that the overall
response rate was 27% (∑N=76). Responses to the quantitative questions were
analysed both manually and by utilising the computer programme SPSS Version
14, which is discussed in more detail later.
Whilst the questionnaire was a useful instrument for gauging a range of
opinions from respondents throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, there were design
drawbacks which, in hindsight, had they been resolved prior to the survey being
administered, would almost certainly have enhanced the capacity to undertake
detailed analyses. Some respondents indicated that their implementation of Tiriti-
based programmes was influenced by the type of early childhood service to which
they belonged (such as Christian-based services). In other words, for some, the
type of service being provided affected the implementation, particularly with
respect to spirituality. Knowing about the type of early childhood education
service in which each respondent worked would undoubtedly have provided
opportunities for further analysis
Judging by the response to the length of time respondents had been in
early childhood education, it is probable that those attending the Early Childhood
Convention (where the majority of respondents accessed the questionnaire) were
not representative of the wider early childhood. Registration costs have been
rising. It requires time off work (and for those where centres are open in school
holidays, a reliever), being able to travel from home and money to be able to
attend. It would be logical to presume that apart from practitioners in the local area
of the conference that attendees were more likely to be in positions of
responsibility such as managers, owners of centres and those in professional
development or teacher education providers. It would, therefore, have been useful
to know what positions respondents held and whether they were managing centres,
rather than working mainly with children. In reality, the sampling universe was 76
which was too small a sample for meaningful data splitting (i.e. sorting
categorically) to be undertaken.
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