Understanding Middle Eastern parents’ expectations for their children’s early education in New Zealand: Early childhood teachers’ perspectives

Abstract

The Middle Eastern population in New Zealand has grown significantly in the past two decades. However, little is known about Middle Eastern parents’ expectations and their children’s experiences of the New Zealand early education system. The PhD research on which this article is based was an attempt to address this gap. The findings discussed in this article derive from semistructured interviews with four case-study teachers. Using thematic analysis and drawing on constructs from critical multiculturalism and funds of knowledge, I argue that there is a lack of congruence between the early childhood discourses promoted by the New Zealand teachers and Middle Eastern parents’ expectations for their children’s early education. Possible implications for early childhood pedagogy are suggested to meet the needs of increasingly ethnically and culturally diverse early childhood educational contexts.