Supporting Pasifika Literacy Education in New Zealand

Abstract

This literature review identifies the factors influencing Pasifika literacy education throughout a range of primary, intermediate, and secondary New Zealand schools. Literacy achievement outcomes for Pasifika students in New Zealand are increasing; however, Pasifika students are still below-average when compared with other ethnicities like European/P?keh?, Asian, and M?ori. The factors that influence Pasifika achievement are the maintenance of home-school partnerships, cultural capital, library access, church-based literacy education, and the classroom environment. Two main conclusions about what teachers can do to improve literacy achievement are drawn from the research: teachers need to establish a positive partnership between the home and school, and teachers need to enact a culturally responsive pedagogy for Pasifika learners.