He maumahara ki nga korero a nga whanau ki Te Waipounamu: Family recollections and social contributions to Maori children's learning in the South Island, New Zealand

Abstract

I examined the development of school readiness skills in the transition to school for 54 Māori children and their whānau in Te Waipounamu, New Zealand. A second aim of the study was to advance an understanding of how contemporary whānau Māori (specifically mothers) tell and read stories with their children and how these conversations promote their young children’s school readiness skills. I assessed oral language, literacy, numeracy and self-control skills at two ages (M = 52 months old and M = 60 months old). At the first time point, mothers reminisced and read books with their children. The main findings were 1) children’s school readiness skills increased over time; and 2) mothers’ reminiscing played an especially strong role in all aspects of children’s school readiness. This research highlights the importance of whānau and family as first teachers with young children and provides a platform for policy reforms with regard to identifying whānau or family-based practices that may promote school readiness within a New Zealand context. The take-home message is that there are multiple pathways in which contemporary whānau Māori might foster the development of children’s school readiness skills. These different pathways are linked to measured practices which might reflect the cultural goals, beliefs, and values of parents in interactions with their children.