Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update
Navigating the waterscapes: children's expressions and perspectives of water across Aotearoa, Norway, and Tanzania
Children in Aotearoa, Norway and Tanzania explored and expressed meanings of local water, and the study reveals tensions in how early childhood curricula address water.
What's new
Researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand, Norway and Tanzania worked with 270 children and teachers in early childhood settings as the children explored local water sources and waterscapes. The study used a dialogic and ecological framework linking children's meaning-making to local, national and global politics, more-than-human geographies, cultural narratives, myths and spiritual stories. The findings highlight the sociopolitical and sociocultural dimensions of water as children explore its sources, uses and meanings. The study also identifies tensions in how formal curricula treat scientific and cultural understandings, embodied and symbolic dimensions, and advocacy for water's care.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
Water holds deep cultural and spiritual significance in Aotearoa. This study shows how young children explore and express meanings of water, with relevance for climate change education.
Putting it into practice
Plan visits to local waterways that invite children to share their own stories and questions about the water, alongside local cultural narratives.
How strong is the evidence
This is an exploratory cross-national study with a sizeable number of participants. It describes children's meaning-making, and the abstract does not report measured outcomes.
What to read
The findings on curriculum tensions and children's expressions of water.