title: Pululima Faifai Pea: Establishment of Sāmoan Immersion Early Childhood Education Centres & Bilingual Units in Primary and Intermediate Schools

authors: Vaitimu Tuāfuti, Patisepa

subjects: Samoan Bilingual/Immersion Education

abstract: Sāmoan Immersion Preschools (Ā’oga ‘Amata) and Bilingual Education units covering from year one to year eight of school have become well established in some areas in the Auckland region since the 1980s, due to the commitment, support and contributions of parents, the Sāmoan community, church leaders, families and some schools. Given that parents, families and communities appeared to have played such a seminal role in their establishment, this research was set out to investigate Sāmoan parents’ lived experiences in relation to the establishment of ā’oga ‘amata and Sāmoan bilingual education units. Fa’afaletui phenomenology, a term I developed in the process of conducting the research, was employed as a culturally appropriate coupling methodology. Phenomenology is about lived experiences and fa’afaletui is a process and procedure of revealing participants’ lived experiences. Insights into parents’ lived experiences were obtained by using various methods namely: questionnaire, focus group discussions, individual interviews, couple interviews and testimonies. The lived experiences were collated from the recounts of past events. The recounts were analysed for themes, which arose from the comments and interpretations of the past events, and the expressions of emotions attached to the events. Observations and analyses of past events highlight many challenges that the participants experienced. Challenges ranged from financial difficulties and lack of resources, to lack of understanding about bilingual/immersion education. What the results make clear is the resilience of the participants in defending what they believe is right as far as fa’asāmoa is concerned, and the powerful role of emotions in personal and educational lives. Resilience and emotions are coefficients in the results and they have theoretical importance in understanding the research findings.

text: Pululima Faifai Pea: Establishment of Sāmoan Immersion Early Childhood Education Centres & Bilingual Units in Primary and Intermediate Schools Sāmoan Immersion Preschools (Ā’oga ‘Amata) and Bilingual Education units covering from year one to year eight of school have become well established in some areas in the Auckland region since the 1980s, due to the commitment, support and contributions of parents, the Sāmoan community, church leaders, families and some schools. Given that parents, families and communities appeared to have played such a seminal role in their establishment, this research was set out to investigate Sāmoan parents’ lived experiences in relation to the establishment of ā’oga ‘amata and Sāmoan bilingual education units. Fa’afaletui phenomenology, a term I developed in the process of conducting the research, was employed as a culturally appropriate coupling methodology. Phenomenology is about lived experiences and fa’afaletui is a process and procedure of revealing participants’ lived experiences. Insights into parents’ lived experiences were obtained by using various methods namely: questionnaire, focus group discussions, individual interviews, couple interviews and testimonies. The lived experiences were collated from the recounts of past events. The recounts were analysed for themes, which arose from the comments and interpretations of the past events, and the expressions of emotions attached to the events. Observations and analyses of past events highlight many challenges that the participants experienced. Challenges ranged from financial difficulties and lack of resources, to lack of understanding about bilingual/immersion education. What the results make clear is the resilience of the participants in defending what they believe is right as far as fa’asāmoa is concerned, and the powerful role of emotions in personal and educational lives. Resilience and emotions are coefficients in the results and they have theoretical importance in understanding the research findings.

year: 2016

title: Australian Sociology: Fragility, Survival, Rivalry by Kirsten Harley & Gary Wickham[Book Review]

authors: Rajčan, Adam

abstract: This short book is one of about two dozen volumes in the Palgrave Macmillan series on national sociology histories around the world. Australia and New Zealand represent overlaps in colonial histories, the growth of western modernity and forms of intellectual and scientific regimes, yet with very different disciplinary accounts (Crothers, 2018). Harley and Wickham’s book expands on other historical work, particularly Germov and McGee’s 2005 volume, providing additional information, especially about the more recent half-century. They use the phrase from their title as a thematic device to suggest three overlapping themes: ‘fragility, survival and rivalry’.

text: Australian Sociology: Fragility, Survival, Rivalry by Kirsten Harley & Gary Wickham[Book Review] This short book is one of about two dozen volumes in the Palgrave Macmillan series on national sociology histories around the world. Australia and New Zealand represent overlaps in colonial histories, the growth of western modernity and forms of intellectual and scientific regimes, yet with very different disciplinary accounts (Crothers, 2018). Harley and Wickham’s book expands on other historical work, particularly Germov and McGee’s 2005 volume, providing additional information, especially about the more recent half-century. They use the phrase from their title as a thematic device to suggest three overlapping themes: ‘fragility, survival and rivalry’.

year: 2021

title: Sharemilking with the Te Raparahi Lands Trust (Wāotū)

authors: Hutcheson, Gail Yvonne

subjects: Place

abstract: This paper discusses sharemilking  in New Zealand.

text: Sharemilking with the Te Raparahi Lands Trust (Wāotū) This paper discusses sharemilking  in New Zealand.

year: 2017