Kia Tīmata Pai (Best Start): a study protocol for a cluster randomised trial with early childhood teachers to support children's oral language and self-regulation development

Resting EEG correlates of neurodevelopment in a socioeconomically and linguistically diverse sample of toddlers: Wave 1 of the Kia Tīmata Pai best start New Zealand study

Development of communication and self-regulation skills is fundamental to psychosocial maturation in childhood. The Kia Tīmata Pai Best Start (KTP) longitudinal study aims to promote these skills through interventions delivered at early childcare centers across New Zealand. In addition to evaluating effects of the interventions on behavioral and cognitive outcomes, the study utilizes electroencephalography (EEG) to characterize cortical development in a subsample of participating children. Here, we present results of the baseline resting EEG assessment with 193 children aged 15 to 33 months. We identified EEG correlates of individual differences in demographics, communication abilities, and temperament. We obtained communication and behavior ratings from multiple informants, and we applied contemporary analytic methods to the EEG data. Periodic spectral power adjusted for aperiodic activity was most closely associated with demographic, language, and behavioral measures. As in previous studies, gamma power was positively associated with verbal language. Alpha power was positively associated with effortful control. Nonverbal and verbal language measures showed distinct associations with EEG indices, as did the three temperament domains. Our results identified a number of candidate EEG measurements for use as longitudinal markers of optimal cortical development and response to interventions in the KTP cohort.

Aotearoa's linguistic landscape: exploring the use of te reo Māori in English-medium early childhood education

This research provides insight into current te reo Māori (the Indigenous language of Aotearoa, New Zealand) use in English-medium ECE settings. We videoed naturalistic conversations between kaiako (educators) and tamariki (aged 15-28 months) at 24 English-medium BestStart ECE centres. Te reo Māori was quantitatively assessed across five routines: kai (food) time, book time, group time, free play, and nappy change. The highest rates of te reo Māori use per minute were observed during the kai time, book time, and group time routines, respectively, and lowest during free play and nappy change. Although scripted/prepared te reo Māori use (e.g. karakia and waiata; prayer and song) were well used, opportunities for more complex and elaborate te reo Māori use remain. This research provides insight into the current use of te reo Māori in English-medium ECE settings, an enhanced understanding of kaiako contributions to te reo Māori revitalisation goals, and applications for practice.