Research Projects

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The Pagoda Teaching Development and Research Centre serves many stakeholders. In particular, these are the children in its care and their families, as well as the wider local community. It works in partnership and consultation to share ideas and to have its best practices adopted within the wider ECE practitioner community. Our aim is to add value by providing leadership and by undertaking original, soundly underpinned research that contributes to respected journal articles, and conferences and workshops. Specific projects undertaken to-date include:

 2006-2007. HCI Research. A 2-year plan involving joint research with the Human Computer Interface (HCI) Group at the university into ICT-effectiveness and human computer interface design for non-literate users.

2006-2009. Multimedia Support. Ministry of Education ICT Programme. ECE Information and Communication Technologies Professional Learning Programme. Research question: How can the capturing and sharing of children’s emergent literacy, using multimedia, support and strengthen literacy in our programme?


2007. Kei Tua o te Pai Assessment for Learning Professional Development. A year-long professional development programme involving a Centre self review into assessment practices and critique/ redevelopment of policies:The Curriculum/Programme: What is curriculum? And Procedure for Child Initiated Programmes.

2008-2009. Tablet-PC Technology. A 2-year plan of joint research involving academics at the Waikato School of Education and CORE Education staff, into the utility of tablet-PC technology for preschool education. A range of ECE sector publications and networking activities resulted.

2011- . Assessment Continuity. Investigation of the alignment of the New Zealand Curriculum with strands of Te Whāriki-The Early Childhood Curriculum (continuity between Early Childhood and School).

2011- . Transition to School. Joint research - involving staff in two collaborating Primary schools, plus academics at the Waikato Management School, the European Research Center for Information Systems at the University of Muenster, and occasional input from academics at the University of York - into the use of  iPads and social networking to improve the emotional and educational outcomes of female students especially.