Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/19658
Title: Indigenous Fijian Notions of Child Development: Understanding children's ways of learning, knowing, and doing, and implications for policy and practice in the early years of school
Contributor(s): Tiko, Lavinia Sauleca Tausere (author); Sims, Margaret  (supervisor)orcid ; McCrea, Nadine (supervisor); Elliott, Sue (supervisor)
Conferred Date: 2016
Copyright Date: 2015
Open Access: Yes
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/19658
Abstract: This thesis is the first of its kind in the area of Indigenous Fijian child development cultural knowledge, its nature, its creation, organisation, maintenance, modification and transmission. The study chooses to privilege Indigenous Fijian child development cultural knowledge and has made space for Indigenous Fijian voices to express and register what they perceived as important knowledges to be preserved and maintained, though there were disagreements in some areas of cultural knowledges. This making of spaces is important so as to affirm Indigenous knowledge and epistemology as well as to enable and empower it to take its place within the larger body of knowledge. The employment of the Indigenous Fijian 'veitalanoa-yaga' method provides leeway for the participants to participate freely and voice their knowledge towards the focus of the study. This was due to the familiarity of the method employed apart from the focus group and the individual interviews. Data was analysed using the constant comparative method and within this, themes were presented, coded and discussed along the research questions. The findings of this study highlighted the need for a framework to revitalise the Indigenous Fijian child development cultural knowledges. Thus, the Fiji Indigenous 'Vuli Ni Lalai' Hybrid Model emerged out of the study, paving the way for both the Indigenous Fijian and Western bodies of knowledges to grow together in Early Childhood settings. In the process, teachers and elders work together, and this is made possible through the enabling of policies at the macro level. The study gives a fresh dimension to the ongoing debate on Indigenous Fijian education and development. It has the potential to inform educational policy and practice for Indigenous Fijian education in Fiji and the Pacific, and perhaps other Indigenous Fijian development.
Publication Type: Thesis Doctoral
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 200210 Pacific Cultural Studies
130102 Early Childhood Education (excl Maori)
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 451304 Pacific Peoples cultural history
390302 Early childhood education
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 940115 Pacific Peoples Development and Welfare
939906 Pacific Peoples Education
940105 Childrens/Youth Services and Childcare
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 210901 Pacific Peoples community service programs
230115 Youth services
Rights Statement: Copyright 2015 - Lavinia Sauleca Tausere Tiko
HERDC Category Description: T2 Thesis - Doctorate by Research
Appears in Collections:School of Education
Thesis Doctoral

Files in This Item:
10 files
File Description SizeFormat 
open/MARCXML.xmlMARCXML.xml3.53 kBUnknownView/Open
open/SOURCE03.pdfAbstract695.22 kBAdobe PDF
Download Adobe
View/Open
open/SOURCE04.pdfThesis3.33 MBAdobe PDF
Download Adobe
View/Open
1 2 Next
Show full item record

Page view(s)

3,702
checked on Mar 24, 2024

Download(s)

4,898
checked on Mar 24, 2024
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.