Research funded in 2017/2018

He Ara ki nga Rautaki e Ora tonu ai te Reo Maori: Pathways to Maori language Retention and Revitalisation.

Research focus:

• What are the demographic characteristics of being a Māori speaker during early childhood?
• What are predictors of Māori language acquisition from the antenatal stage to infancy?
• How is cultural connectedness associated with te Reo Māori use at 4 years of age?

Professor Te Kani Kingi, Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi

Ministry of Education; Māori Language Commission

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Strengthening children’s relational competencies: Identifying key factors that impact on emotional and social resilience from pre-birth to 4.5 years.

Research focus:

• Which variables (mother, child and contextual/support factors), and their combinations, across six interconnected GUiNZ domains are associated with different mother-child dyad profiles at ages 2 and 4.5 years?
• Which of these factors, and their combinations, are correlated with children’s social resilience at age 2 and 4.5 years?
• How does the effect of these support variables change over time (from 9 months, to 2 years, to 4.5 years)?

Associate Professor Jayne White, University of Waikato

Oranga Tamariki

Funding approved June 2018

Prevalence, persistence and change in pre-schoolers’ self-control: What promotes, hinders and protects against low levels of self-control.

Research focus:

• Describing current prevalence and churn in low self-control amongst NZ pre-schoolers during their early years.
• Identifying what age and stage those at risk of low self-control can be identified to optimise prevention and mitigation strategies.
• Identifying what factors in the home and wider environments of the child are associated with change in prevalence of low self-control over time and/or mitigation of the impact of low self-control on outcomes.
• Providing population and context relevant knowledge to inform policy and practice strategies to improve self-control and reduce downstream issues and associated costs for the current generation of children.

Associate Professor Susan Morton, University of Auckland

Ministry of Education

Completed

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Early learning environments in Aotearoa/ New Zealand: Child, parent, home and early childhoods education factors that promote early literacy.

Research focus:

• What are the early learning environment factors associated with early literacy at age 54 months?
• Are there socio-demographic differences in the early learning environments that predict early literacy skills at age 54 months?

Dr Kane Meissel, University of Auckland, and Professor Elaine Reese, University of Otago

Ministry of Education

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How does participation in early childhood education affect child health and development?

Research focus:

• To determine the longitudinal effects of early childhood education usage at 9 months and 2 years of age on a range of health and developmental outcomes in infants and pre-school children.

Associate Professor Scott Duncan, Auckland University of Technology

Ministry of Health; Ministry of Education

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