An Investigation of Sites, Uses and Practices for Literacy in the Lives of Pasifika Students John G. Dickie This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, Victoria University of Wellington. January 2008 i Abstract An investigation of sites, uses and practices for literacy in the lives of Pasifika students Lower test scores on school measures of literacy for Pasifika students than for the majority of students in New Zealand are a cause for concern. As part of a wider attempt to address this problem the Ministry of Education has argued that teachers need to be better informed of out-of-school literacy practices. This thesis considers what can be learned when this guidance is followed and it investigates students’ social and cultural uses of literacy in family and community settings. It explores the argument that knowledge of these out-of-school literacies will inform teachers and through incorporation (McNaughton, 2002) teachers may be able to make effective connections for students to school literacy. A sociocultural perspective is used to investigate the social and cultural practices of the students while the study also uses Cremin’s (1976) concept of configurations of sites to consider how learning is mediated for students in different settings. Rogoff’s (1995) three planes of analysis provide a tool to examine students’ practices at the community, interpersonal, and personal levels. The investigation sought the students’ own perspective of how they appropriate knowledge about literacy as they collected information with cameras and journals on their own practices. The participants were 14 Pasifika students aged 11 and 12 years (mostly Samoan) as well as three adult Samoan church representatives and teachers from the students’ school. Students’ photos were used to elicit rich description in semi-structured interviews and interview schedules were also used with students and adult participants. The findings illustrate how the students were socialised into particular practices that are contextualised in the sites of family, church and neighbourhood. They reveal that for the students there was both overlapping of values and conflict between their sites of literacy practice. The complementarities occurred most strongly between family and church and a valued feature of the students’ practice was the use of Samoan language. The most common conflicts were those related to popular culture and they occurred between the sites of family, church and school on the one hand and neighbourhood sites on the other as well as within family sites. The thesis argues that ii awareness of the complementary and conflicting features is essential for teachers in understanding the complexity the students face in choosing their paths among two cultures. This knowledge enables teachers to incorporate aspects of out-of-school literacy into school practice and to draw on those in the students’ backgrounds who may facilitate students’ literacy acquisition. iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my thanks to the following people who assisted me with this project: The year 7 and 8 students who agreed to participate in the study as my junior ethnographers and who contributed by recording and sharing their own experiences of literacy practices. The principal and teachers of the students’ school who were generous with their time and who provided assistance with the investigation in many ways. Thank you for welcoming me into your school as a colleague. The three church representatives who were interviewed. My supervisors, Professor Janice Wearmouth, Dr Robert Strathdee, Barbara Craig, Dr Keith Sullivan and Dr Geraldine McDonald. Each has contributed in a valuable way to inform this project and to guide me as a researcher. I must acknowledge and thank Janice for her considerable contribution, particularly in guiding the analysis of data. Both Janice and Rob have been extremely generous with their time in critiquing and supporting the many drafts leading up to submission of the thesis. I owe a special thanks to Geraldine who has been my supervisor, mentor and friend. She has followed this project from the beginning with great interest and has encouraged me with stimulating readings, challenging questions, and fresh ideas. My special thanks go to Doreen O’Sullivan, Pele Tui and Sherryn Stuart who provided invaluable advice and support for the project. Their help made this study possible. Feaua’i Burgess, Tolo Pereira, Fuapepe Rimoni, Galu Hunkin-Tuiletufuga and Sam Lees who advised on Samoan and Pasifika aspects of the study and who assisted me with advice, encouragement and resources. iv The librarians in the Victoria University College of Education library who have been so helpful in many ways. I am especially grateful to Elizabeth Clark for her guidance in literature searches, and also to Linnea Dale and Rebecca Lythe. Other College of Education colleagues including Jan Baynes, Margaret Gleeson, Gin Weston, and Karen Coulton. Susan Kaiser for her assistance with formatting and proofreading the thesis. My nephews Edmund and Karim and my niece Charmian for trialling the initial idea with a camera, and Edmund for his tuition on computer games. I would also like to thank the management of the Faculty of Education, Victoria University of Wellington for supporting this study through provision of scholarships. Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my parents, Alec and Eve v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .........................................................................................................................i Acknowledgements.....................................................................................................iii Chapter 1 Introduction And Positioning ................................................................. 1 Rationale for the investigation ..................................................................................... 1 Seeking an insider view........................................................................................... 3 Changing definitions of literacy................................................................................... 4 Pasifika students in New Zealand ................................................................................ 6 Pasifika student achievement .................................................................................. 7 Ministry of Education initiatives for Pasifika students ........................................... 8 Method..................................................................................................................... 9 Summary ............................................................................................................... 10 Overview of the chapters ........................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 Literacy As Social Practice: Past To Present ...................................... 13 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 13 The book and the church............................................................................................ 15 Beginnings of universal literacy: hegemony not liberation ....................................... 16 Literacy introduced to New Zealand..................................................................... 18 Literacy education in Samoa ................................................................................. 19 More church connections ...................................................................................... 22 Family literacy defined as social and cultural practice ......................................... 22 Literacy to maintain hegemony and as a means to enlightenment............................. 23 Development of literacy as popular culture ............................................................... 25 Conclusion............................................................................................................. 27 Chapter 3 A Theoretical Framework and Review of the Literature................... 28 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 28 Part One: The theoretical perspective ........................................................................ 29 Cremin’s multiplicity of institutions that educate...................................................... 29 The curriculum of the institution........................................................................... 29 Configurations of institutions................................................................................ 31 Sociocultural theory ................................................................................................... 32 Rogoff’s three planes of analysis ............................................................................... 35 Part Two: The Studies of Literacy as Social Practice................................................ 39 A sociocultural perspective on “literacy” .................................................................. 39 Introducing Street’s autonomous paradigm ............................................................... 40 Street’s ideological model of literacy ........................................................................ 42 Heath’s study of literacy in three culturally different communities .......................... 44 Patterns of language: socialisation