Tualaulelei, Eseta 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8393-7015 and Taylor-Leech, Kerry
(2020)
Building positive identities in a culturally safe space: an
ethnographic case study from Queensland, Australia.
Diaspora, Indigenous and Minority Education.
ISSN 1559-5692
Abstract
The early years before compulsory schooling are crucial for children’s identities, including their cultural identities. This article reports on a community collaborative educational program that aimed to promote children’s positive Samoan identities in a culturally safe environment. Data were collected through ethnographic methods, including talanoa (Pacific-style conversations), interviews, and participant observations, along with audio, photo, and video recordings. Analysis revealed developments in the children’s cultural identities over the seven-month study and challenges in creating a culturally safe space within an established English-dominant early childhood center. Key findings connected children’s cultural identity development to spaces that nurture children’s cultural confidence, promote values compatible with family cultures, provide a culturally safe physical environment, and encourage positive relationships. The discussion highlights the complexities of establishing culturally safe spaces in contemporary pluralist societies, and we argue for an expansion of the permissive spaces that constrain such endeavors.
| Item Type: |
Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
|
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Item Status: |
Live Archive |
| Additional Information: |
Published online: 12 December 2020. Permanent restricted access to ArticleFirst version, in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: |
Current - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Education (1 Jul 2019 -) |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: |
Current - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Education (1 Jul 2019 -) |
| Date Deposited: |
14 Dec 2020 01:53 |
| Last Modified: |
03 Jan 2021 22:21 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
language nest, intercultural education, cultural identity, culturally safe sapce, early childhood |
| Fields of Research (2008): |
13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130311 Pacific Peoples Education
20 Language, Communication and Culture > 2002 Cultural Studies > 200209 Multicultural, Intercultural and Cross-cultural Studies
13 Education > 1301 Education Systems > 130102 Early Childhood Education (excl. Maori) |
| Fields of Research (2020): |
45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4514 Pacific Peoples education > 451404 Pacific Peoples early childhood education
39 EDUCATION > 3903 Education systems > 390302 Early childhood education
45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4514 Pacific Peoples education > 451401 Cultural responsiveness and working with Pacific Peoples communities education |
| Socio-Economic Objectives (2008): |
C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9399 Other Education and Training > 939903 Equity and Access to Education
C Society > 95 Cultural Understanding > 9599 Other Cultural Understanding > 959999 Cultural Understanding not elsewhere classified
C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9399 Other Education and Training > 939906 Pacific Peoples Education |
| Socio-Economic Objectives (2020): |
16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1602 Schools and learning environments > 160201 Equity and access to education
21 INDIGENOUS > 2110 Pacific Peoples education > 211001 Pacific Peoples education engagement and attendance
16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1601 Learner and learning > 160101 Early childhood education |
| Identification Number or DOI: |
https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2020.1852545 |
| URI: |
http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/40189 |
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