| Description |
Responding to concerns about the underrepresentation of Pacific Islander students in higher education, my study specifically focused on Tongan students in the state of Utah who illuminated alternative perspectives associated with the conditions, constraints, and relational practices that impacted their educational careers. The aim of this research was to create a space for Tongan students to give voice to their educational experiences, to narrate Tongan ways of knowing and being and its influence on their current ways of knowing and being, and to reflect on the role and importance of relationship building along their educational journey. Drawing on research methods including individual talanoa interactions (which is similar to informal individual dialogues), and a focus group (largely based on talanoa in a group setting), the voices of Tongan students have been imperative in elucidating meaningful insights that allow us to move beyond the impasse of confining boundaries to grapple with the intricacies of tā (time) and vā (space). Grounded in my theoretical commitments to Time and Space (Tā and Vā) Theory of Reality-shaped by the understanding that space, or vā, is relational, mutual, and reciprocal and time (tā) is extended to mean beats, rhythms, and movements-and Critical Race Theory (to critique the saliency of race in the US), this study allowed me to critically contextualize interconnected relationships, ethics, and tā-vā choreographies that Tongan students perform, engage, and negotiate (both within the home and school settings) when considering the possibility of higher education. |
