Pacific girls’ perceptions of the enablers and barriers in Level 3 NCEA English: a little talanoa goes a long way

Abstract

Pacific people have been and continue to be an integral part of New Zealand society and so the success of their young people in education is important to us all. Studies in New Zealand have shown that across all sectors Pacific students are achieving on average less than all other ethnic groups. However, few studies have focused on Pacific students who are achieving above average and what needs to be done to ensure their ongoing and increased success. This mixed methods study analyses the achievement in English of successful Pacific students in a small, urban state girls’ school in their final year of secondary schooling. Interviews with six Pacific girls about their perceptions of Level 3 English were conducted using a talanoa approach to find possible explanations for their achievement patterns. This study has found that achievement data from previous years are not necessarily a reliable predictor of achievement in subsequent years for Pacific students. The case studies of the six Pacific students suggest that what students perceive to be enablers can become barriers and barriers can become enablers in a short space of time. In addition, enablers and barriers interact in different ways for different students and therefore have a complex effect on students’ success. The diversity evident among the small sample of students in this study shows that using ethnicity to generalise about the educational needs and strategies to address these needs is not necessarily the best approach.