ABSTRACT Name: Bruce I. Renich Department: Counseling, Adult and Higher Education Title: The Transmission of Knowledge: Perspectives on the Change from Traditional to Modem Settings in Papua New Guinea Major: Adult Continuing Education Degree: Doctor of Education Approved by: Date: S - U o l DissertatirfnDirector NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This study examined the ways that adult learners in Papua New Guinea viewed their traditional learning experiences and how these experiences have been used to develop a vision of a model of learning. Traditional ways of learning, including both informal learning and formal initiation learning, had not been explored as they related to the perceptions of the learner influenced by Western ways of learning. The purpose then was to examine the movement in understanding from how traditional education and learning took place to the practice of modern Western education and learning in Papua New Guinea in order to determine what was perceived to be the ideal way to learn and educate. Three questions were the basis for this research: “How do adult men from Papua New Guinea perceive their lifetime learning experiences?,” “In what ways do adult men from Papua New Guinea feel that their childhood and adolescent educational experiences have shaped their current lives as adults?,” and “How would adult men who are teachers from Papua New Guinea describe both their current teaching practice and their mental picture of what an ideal learning environment would look like?” To answer these questions a qualitative research method was used and the data analyzed through constant comparison. The data came from a series of interviews, several ethnographies from the general cultural context in which these interview informants lived, and personal observations from living and working in Papua New Guinea for Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. twenty-two years. The findings suggest that a preferred learning environment model suitable to this context would include seven characteristics, namely, 1) working together and 2) gaining experience through activity learning as primary purposes for learning, 3) immediate application as the context in which learning takes place, 4) dialogue and questions as well as 5) demonstration as the most important instructional methods, 6) mentoring together with relationship building as the chief quality of an instructor, and 7) mental and emotional toughness as a necessary character quality of the learner. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY THE TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE: PERSPECTIVES ON THE CHANGE FROM TRADITIONAL TO MODERN SETTINGS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELING, ADULT AND HIGHER EDUCATION BY BRUCE I. RENICH © Bruce I. Renich DEKALB, ILLINOIS MAY 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3272166 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3272166 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Certification: In accordance with departmental and Graduate School policies, this dissertation is accepted in partial fulfillment of degree requirements. Dissertation Director Date a n y u s e o f m a t e r ia l c o n t a in e d HEREIN m u s t b e duly acknowledged . THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION MUST BE OBTAINED IF ANY PORTION IS TO BE PUBLISHED OR INCLUDED IN A PUBLICATION. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks in this effort to produce a dissertation goes to the many who have contributed to my learning experiences over the years and those who have been a special encouragement and help to me in this most recent enterprise. Several key persons, who wish to remain unnamed, helped with the funding of the schooling and research. Without their help I could not have proceeded. My thanks also go to L. Glenn Smith, who got me started on this project by asking penetrating questions, to Amy Rose who, as my director, showed me the path forward again and again and patiently encouraged me to completion, and to the other members of my dissertation committee, Giovanni Bennardo and Jorge Jeria, who gave me invaluable assistance. While I was in Papua New Guinea I received extraordinary kindness and courtesy from members of the research team and staff of the Melanesian Institute. In particular I would like to mention Michael and Teresa Rynkiewich for their gracious hospitality and for Michael’s research help as well as that given me by my good friend William Longgar. William offered me the wonderful Melanesian hospitality of his home and assisted me by orienting me to the libraries of the Melanesian Institute and the University of Goroka. My informants gave me more than information. They gave me trust and a quick friendship which greatly encouraged my pursuit of the topic. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. My wife, Retta, has so graciously worked full-time to provide for our daily needs while I completed this phase of our life together. Other than those who have also been through this process, probably no one else knows better the travails of getting to the end of the dissertation work! My deepest regard and thanks go to her extending grace when this project took much longer than expected. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To the memory of Kumalau Tawali, first Poet Laureate of Papua New Guinea, friend and colleague Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................................... xi LIST OF APPENDICES................................................................................................. xii PREFACE.......................................................................................................................... xiii 1. BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY.................................................... 1 The Background to the Research .................................................................. 1 The Physical Background ..................................................................... 2 The Historical/Political Background .................................................... 5 The Social Background ....................................................................... 10 The Problem, Purpose, and Significance of the Research ...................... 17 The Problem.......................................................................................... 17 The Purpose .......................................................................................... 18 The Research Questions ...................................................................... 21 The Significance of the Study ............................................................ 22 The Research Methodology........................................................................ 23 Design of the Study .............................................................................. 23 The Participants ...................................................................................... 24 Data Collection ....................................................................................... 30 Data Analysis.......................................................................................... 34 The Conceptual Framework ........................................................................... 36 Structuring Knowledge ..................................................................... 37 Knowledge Structure and Anthropological Theories of Culture... 45 Schema Theory and Connectionism: The Building Blocks of Culture ........................................................................... 46 Victor Turner .................................................................................. 52 Formal, Nonformal, and Informal Learning ....................................... 56 Organization of the Study