A Lens of Marginalisation Pacific Learners in Aotearoa/New Zealand and their Understanding of History

Abstract

The histories of the Pacific and its people are populated with stories of agency and resistance. In contrast, the narratives that persist in New Zealand regarding Pacific learners are dominated by a focus on deficit and underachievement. Notwithstanding their growing presence in New Zealand’s schools, Pacific learners have been, and continue to be, underserved by an education system that disempowers them in the classroom and struggles to provide equitable outcomes. However, despite the persistent failings of New Zealand’s education system, subject specific research which explores how to empower Pacific learners in New Zealand’s secondary school classrooms is thin on the ground. This thesis uses student understanding of history as constructed and contested as a vehicle to investigate the interpretative frameworks of predominantly Pacific learners at a low decile, Catholic girl’s high school in South Auckland. Underpinned by a critical theory framework, it explores the way the participants’ understanding of power shapes their engagement with history in the classroom. Using qualitative and culturally responsive methodologies, data was obtained from over 70 participants through both in-class activities and talanoa. Comparative analysis was used to identify three key themes. First, that the participants believe that valid historical narratives must include multiple or marginalised perspectives. Second, that participants can clearly articulate the power relations that structure both the history they study and teaching and learning that takes place in the classroom. This includes clearly identifying and critiquing the dominance of Western ways of knowing in the enacted history curriculum. Third, that the participants engage with historical content in complex and nuanced ways, often finding relevance in those histories that draw on a social justice focus. An original conceptual model, underpinned by critical pedagogy and resistance theory, offers a new way to explain the findings. It argues that the participants filter history through a ‘lens of marginalisation’, shaped by their sociocultural background, which leads participants to undertake acts of resistance in the classroom. This thesis concludes by arguing that the discipline of history has the potential to be emancipatory, providing the opportunity for Pacific learners to reveal marginalised narratives and underlying power structures in the classroom. Finally, this thesis makes key recommendations for policy and practice related to the teaching and learning of history for marginalised learners in New Zealand which will have implications for a broader social justice agenda.