‘We are family’: Māori success in foundation programmes

Abstract

This paper considers the question: What constitutes an optimal learning environment for Māori learners in foundation programmes? Using Kaupapa Māori methodology, nearly 100 adult Māori (Indigenous) students in Aotearoa/New Zealand were interviewed from a range of tertiary providers of foundation programmes. State-funded foundation programmes that scaffold adults into tertiary education are a partial response to Ministry of Education concerns about unsatisfactory high school statistics for some sections of the community. Connecting with Māori voices enabled the researchers to gain a deeper awareness of the reality of study experiences for these adult learners. It is argued that academic participation and success for adult Māori learners is increased when the learning and teaching environment mirrors the connectedness and belonging of a whānau (family) environment.

Keywords:

• indigenous education
• Māori education
• student experience
• student learning
• teaching practice
• whānau

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Rose Yukich for her feedback on this paper.

Notes

Tribal affiliation of McMurchy-Pilkington.

Currently, in some areas of Aotearoa/New Zealand, Māori can choose to have their children educated through the medium of te reo Māori from early childhood through to tertiary level.

Marae – Māori tribal land including open space and a building complex. One of the main buildings is a communal meeting-house named after a prominent ancestor, with special significance for tribal meetings and ceremonies. These are often decorated with carvings and traditional art forms that portray ancestors or historical events.