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

Action development enabled Tiriti-based curriculum to be implemented faster and
more powerfully than action research. This is because action research is a
problem-based approach and action development is strength-based approach.
Finally, applying the principles of appreciative inquiry as a theoretical
framework has enabled the literature and the data to be examined from a positive
stance rather than the deficit theorising often associated with research concerned
with indigenous groups. Although this thesis is not researching indigenous groups
per se knowledge and customs of the Māori do figure largely in this work as they
are the basis of Tiriti-based aspects of Te Whāriki. The evidence for these
contributions can start to be identified in the topics covered in the following
section, which describes the structure of this thesis.
1.4 Structure of this Thesis
This chapter has introduced the research question, objectives, and
theoretical framework of this thesis. It has launched the concept of appreciative
inquiry both as a theoretical framework and as a methodology. In addition, the
context for this thesis (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) has been described and explained.
Finally, the history, structure and description of Te Whāriki were presented.
Chapter 2 provides an investigation of the notion of biculturalism and its
connections to Te Whāriki. Literature that supports teachers in implementing
Tiriti-based curriculum is considered along with arguments supporting the
contention that rather than being a curriculum Te Whāriki is in fact a philosophy,
and this makes it challenging to implement. Drawing together previous national
and international research, possible indicators of what Tiriti-based curriculum
could incorporate, are then collated. These collations can be considered both as a
composite and ideal guide to the implementation of Tiriti-based programmes.
To simplify the large amount of material to be considered in relation to
methodologies and methods used in this thesis, this has been divided into two
chapters. In chapter 3 an overview and sequence of the data collection strategies is
discussed. Because both qualitative and quantitative tools were used the
justification for using mixed methods is introduced in this chapter. The qualitative
methodology of action research used in Case Study One and Case Study Two is
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