E Aogā le Talanoa: A Critical Autoethnographic unpacking of negotiating Pacific identities in Aotearoa, New Zealand classrooms

Abstract

This thesis employs critical autoethnography to examine the influence of educational spaces on identity through my lens as a student and teacher. These experiences are depicted in diary entries that have followed my journey in education and are best understood through theoretical frameworks such as the liminal third space and vā. Vā (Wendt, 1996) and the liminal third space (Bhabha, 1994), are both spaces inbetween, thus in weaving together these theoretical frameworks, I engage both vā and third space to critically unpack my experiences in the educational context using relevant literature to support my analysis. In addition, I weave talanoa (Vaioleti, 2006) together with critical autoethnography (Holman Jones, 2016) as my methodologies, enabling me to share my personal narrative as well as serving as a cultural analysis. My findings highlight the different aspects of educational spaces - such as teacher roles and cultural representations - that can impact the negotiating processes of identity for students. Understanding these findings, especially by teachers, can strengthen the experience of Pacific students within educational spaces (Rata, 1998; Samu, 2006; Pasikale, 1998; Tupuola, 1998). As such I argue that there are also socioeconomic barriers impacting the educational achievement of Pacific students which drives the purpose of this study which is to combat these barriers through understanding the classroom space as a space that can create change. Overall, this thesis calls for a systemic shift in educational practices and policies towards inclusivity and equity, recognising the unique challenges and cultural wealth of Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa, New Zealand.