Navigating Fiji’s higher education landscape with indigenous research methodologies (2022)

View/ Open
Type of Content
Journal ArticlePublisher
Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific StudiesISSN
2463-641XCollections
Abstract
My doctoral study explored the development of the Fiji higher education sector following the 2006 coup, from 2007 to 2017, and the challenges faced by the sector during this time. The study involved interviews with government officials and higher education stakeholders, alongside analysis of key policy texts. As a Fijian researcher doing potentially sensitive research, I was acutely aware of the need to conduct the study in a way that was robust, but beneficial to Fiji and Fijians. I was also aware of my status as a Fijian (and former government employee) who was bonded to return ‘home’. In this paper, I describe my study context, and the considerations that led me to draw on the Fijian Vanua Research Framework as an ethical and methodological guide for my research. I describe how I applied the Fijian Vanua Research Framework at each stage of my study, and conclude with some reflections on research, reciprocity and research ethics in politically sensitive contexts.
Keywords
Fijian Vanua Research Framework; methodology; cultural knowledge; Fijian culture; higher education; FijiRights
CC BY 4.0Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Making space for kaupapa Māori within the academy
Ratima, Matiu Tai (2008)Eketone’s target article, ‘The theoretical underpinnings of Kaupapa Māori directed practice’ makes a significant contribution to a nascent literature on Kaupapa Māori theory. He offers a model that integrates Critical ... -
Sailiga tomai ma malamalama’aga fa’a-Pasifika—Seeking Pasifika Knowledge to Support Student Learning: Reflections on Cultural Values Following an Educational Journey to Samoa
Taleni LT; Ismail R; Rarere-Briggs B; Stark R; Surtees, Nicola (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021)Transforming practices in initial teacher education and school and early childhood education contexts to support the success of Pasifika students and children can be challenging. Palagi educators, in particular, may find ... -
Braiding together student and supervisor aspirations in a struggle to decolonize
Lee B; Smyth S; Scobie, Matthew (SAGE Publications, 2021)In this study, we explore a student-supervisor relationship and the development of relational and reflexive research identities as joint actions towards decolonizing management knowledge and practice. We frame a specific ...