Abstract:
This study has explored the perceived benefits of a Pasifika Homework Centre in improving the educational outcomes of Pasifika students at a high decile girl’s grammar school in Auckland. The Pasifika Homework Centre was started as an initiative to further support the learning of Pasifika students. Because the Homework Centre was a naturalistic environment and this study set out to explore the phenomenon in its entirety, a qualitative, case study instrument of research was employed. Methods used within this design included alumna focus group data, teacher descriptive surveys, institutional data in the form of summative school reports, as well as the researcher’s observations. These various methods allowed for triangulation of data. This study adhered closely to the Pasifika Education Research Guidelines (Anae, Coxon, Mara, Wendt-Samu, & Finau, 2001) and every aspect of the research, including consultation, ethics and data collection followed the cultural protocols as outlined in this guiding document. Although this research did not find conclusive causal evidence linking attendance at the Centre to improved academic grades, it did find a range of socio and emotional benefits that alluded to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid (1943). This study concluded that attendance at a Pasifika-specific support structure gave students a sense of belonging with the school and enabled students to form learning relationships with teachers, which in turn motivated them and engaged them further. This study and its findings support the notion that culturally responsive pedagogy is not a fixed pedagogical approach but rather a collection of fluid constructs that give way to various forms of best practice; examples of which are highlighted in this study.
