Over the last 16 months, I have been undertaking my Master's in Change and Organisational Resilience through AcademyEx. I have now completed this work, and am excited to share my research findings.
I am deeply grateful for the time, whakaaro, and koorero shared by all participants in this work. These findings represent a powerful collection of perspectives from across Specialist Day Schools and our whaanau communities.
Ngaa mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.
Abstract
This thesis explores what an inclusive curriculum might offer aakonga with significant intellectual disabilities – tino taonga – in Aotearoa, New Zealand. While the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) is intended to be for all learners, findings from whaanau and school leaders of specialist day schools indicate that it does not adequately meet the needs of these students. Drawing on kaupapa Maaori research principles and adopting a mixed-methods insider research approach, I collected and analysed data through surveys, semi-structured interviews and e-Waananga with specialist school leaders, whaanau and community members to investigate aspirations for students, the limitations of current curriculum frameworks, and opportunities for new models of inclusion.Findings highlight a strong preference from participants for a curriculum designed specifically by specialist schools, with flexibility for localised adaptation in consultation with whaanau and communities. Aspirations for aakonga include identity, confidence, and wellbeing; independence and life skills; communication, belonging and relationships; and meaningful participation community life. Limitations of the NZC were identified in its narrow focus on academic achievement, lack of cultural responsiveness, and insufficient guidance for inclusive practice. Participants emphasised the need for a curriculum that values personalised pathways, centres mana motuhake, and acknowledges local contexts.
This thesis argues that a national curriculum for tino taonga/aakonga with significant disabilities, informed by specialist expertise, whaanau voice, and kaupapa Maaori principles, could offer greater equity, coherence, and recognition of professional practice. Such a curriculum would support inclusive aspirations for all learners, while affirming the right of tino taonga to education that is meaningful, relevant and life-enhancing.
Research Aim and Scope
My research aimed to explore what a curriculum that is inclusive of tino taonga/students with significant intellectual disabilities might offer Aotearoa/New Zealand. It investigated the experiences and perspectives of senior leaders in Aotearoa’s 27 specialist day schools, whaanau/family of school leavers who received ORS funding and worked at pre-Level 1 or Level 1 for an extended period, and Maaori community members with experience working with tino taonga.The study examined different curriculum structures, including individualised, localised, national, and globalised approaches, and engaged with international literature on curriculum decolonisation and design, considering opportunities and challenges within Aotearoa’s bicultural context.
This research will benefit students who receive ORS funding and are enrolled in specialist day schools in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and their peers in mainstream schools. It is likely to aid Specialist Day Schools in the adaptation of the national curriculum and development of their own, and it is my hope that it will be used to help inform national decision-making and educational policy relating to inclusive education.
Research Questions
- What might a curriculum that is inclusive of tino taonga/aakonga with significant intellectual disabilities offer Aotearoa, New Zealand?
- What is meant by ‘inclusive' and 'education’ when applied to tino taonga, and what are our aspirations for these aakonga as school leavers?
- What are the limitations of the current National Curriculum in Aotearoa, New Zealand? What is the impact of changing political ideologies on specialist education in Aotearoa, NZ?
- What might Individualised, Localised, National, and Globalised curricula offer tino taonga?
- How can a curriculum be developed to reflect a decolonised approach?
- What role might technology have in the development of curriculum for tino taonga?
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