Listening to and learning from Pacific families: The art of building home–school relationships at secondary level to support achievement

Flavell, Margaret

doi:10.18296/set.0074

Cited by 10 publications

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“…I appreciate I may not fully understand the perspectives of Pacific learners and their families (Rimoni & Averill, 2019 ), and that my role is a delicate one in which minority views can be subsumed through the privileged position of a white researcher (Britton, 2020 ). However, I position myself as someone willing to learn from Pacific peoples (Flavell, 2017 ), and who wishes to support Pacific peoples actively participating in educational discourse (Airini et al, 2010 ). Advice emphasises that collaborative relationships with Pacific participants commence from the outset of the investigation, allowing time to build relationships and to understand the local context (Airini et al, 2010 ; Vaioleti, 2017 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The promise of Appreciative Inquiry as a tool to developing home–school relationships for secondary Pacific students

Flavell

2021

Aust. Educ. Res.

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Crucial to the success of Pacific learners is the engagement of schools with the learners’ families and their communities. This article reports on a small-scale study which focussed on home–school relationships for Pacific secondary learners in Aotearoa New Zealand. It explored good practice and further considered how schools might develop their home–school practices to better support Pacific students. An Appreciative Inquiry (AI) lens supported this strength-based approach. AI promotes positive change through the inclusion of multiple voices. This article argues that AI is a tool which schools could use to review and develop their home–school relationships with Pacific families and, in so doing, bring about structural changes that promote successful learning experiences for Pacific students.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…AI, therefore, encourages opportunities for listening. Very often, in busy school environments with tight timescales, time for listening to families becomes scarce (Flavell, 2017 ). Yet, for Pacific families, listening is a fundamental aspect of building respectful relationships (Tuafuti, 2010 ).…”

Section: Appreciative Inquirymentioning

confidence: 99%

The promise of Appreciative Inquiry as a tool to developing home–school relationships for secondary Pacific students

Flavell

2021

Aust. Educ. Res.

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“…Furthermore, I realised that the school system is not always responsive to the worlds of the families. There can be a lack of opportunity for teachers to learn about the families whose children they are teaching; rushed parent meetings can overlook space for relationship-building with insufficient time for teachers to listen to and get to know the parents (Flavell, 2017).…”

Section: Master Of Education Degreementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A strategy which both these colleges have employed has been to liaise with a group of Pacific parents who advise the principal and act as a conduit between the community and the school (Spee et al, 2014a;2014b). This is an effective way of connecting with different communities who come under the umbrella of Pacific identity (Flavell, 2017). students to discuss their needs and ease their transition to secondary school (Toumu'a et al, 2014).…”

Section: Leadership Practices Supporting Pacific Student Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supporting successful learning outcomes for secondary Pacific students through home-school relationships

Flavell¹

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<p>A need to improve learning outcomes for Pacific students has been highlighted by the Ministry of Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand, with the reflection that the education system has not adequately catered for these learners. The development of home-school relationships is recognised by the Ministry as one way of promoting the achievement of Pacific students; closer links with Pacific families are encouraged so that students’ needs may be better met. The aim of this research was to explore how secondary schools could develop relationships with Pacific families and communities in order to support students’ successful learning outcomes. A qualitative case study, using a grounded theory approach, was employed. An Appreciative Inquiry framework helped guide the research design to facilitate the exploration of how home-school relationships worked well within the context of a New Zealand town, and how they can be enhanced to benefit secondary Pacific learners. A Communities of Practice lens supported analysis; and an appreciation of Pacific relationality was supported by the theoretical frameworks, Teu le va and Talanoa Research Methodology (TRM). Key findings demonstrate the willingness and expertise from members of the Pacific community to support schools’ endeavours to cater for Pacific learners, helping address any barriers to family engagement. Despite the strong commitment from teachers and school leaders to work more closely and creatively with Pacific families, this study concludes that knowledge and ideas do not always flow freely between home and school. An inherent risk is that schools hold onto decision-making processes although there is a capacity within the Pacific community to offer effective solutions. To alleviate this risk, school structures need to open up to permit a freer exchange of information, prioritising relationships that accord with Pacific values. The bricolage of frameworks employed in this study have the potential to be applied to school settings for the review and development of home-school practices for Pacific families.</p>

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Pacific Parental Engagement and Intergenerational Storytelling in Aotearoa New Zealand

2022

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In this article, we focus on how Pacific family support places success of individuals within a wider narrative of intergenerational family stories, contributing to successful futures for the participating Pacific youth and their families. Guided by Pacific research principles, we used interviews with families and adolescents to explore the role of family narratives, in ten Pacific families in Aotearoa New Zealand, which supported academic success for their children. Our data sources included conversations with youth, their families, and visual representations created by the youth to illustrate their perceptions of parental support. The findings highlighted the role of families’ stories in supporting their children’s education. Strong intergenerational expectations were expressed from the dual perspectives of parents and their children. The formative role of family stories within the youths’ experiences of success provides opportunity to acknowledge the relational foundations of intergenerational stories.

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Listening to and learning from Pacific families: The art of building home–school relationships at secondary level to support achievement

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

The promise of Appreciative Inquiry as a tool to developing home–school relationships for secondary Pacific students

The promise of Appreciative Inquiry as a tool to developing home–school relationships for secondary Pacific students

Supporting successful learning outcomes for secondary Pacific students through home-school relationships

Pacific Parental Engagement and Intergenerational Storytelling in Aotearoa New Zealand

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