Samoan Language and Cultural Continuity at an Early Childhood Centre of Innovation

Abstract

This paper summarises research literature on language immersion education in the early years, with a particular focus on Pasifika educational and language contexts. It outlines innovative practices related to Samoan language immersion at an early childhood Centre of Innovation, and describes the centre's action research process, including the observational approaches and interviews used to generate data. There is a discussion of key findings on language and cultural continuity. During the three-year research project, learning increasingly took place in Samoan, teachers took on more study in immersion and bilingual education, and interactions between teachers and children challenged the children to communicate confidently and competently in Samoan.