University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Dissertations Student Research 12-2017 Bringing the Aloha Spirit to a Mainland Campus: Experiences of Native Hawaiian Students Pursuing Their olC lege Degrees Alethea N. Stoval Follow this and additional works at: https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Stoval, Alethea N., "Bringing the Aloha Spirit to a Mainland Campus: Experiences of Native Hawaiian Students Pursuing Their oC llege Degrees" (2017). Dissertations. 468. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/468 This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © 2017 ALETHEA N. STOVALL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Greeley, Colorado The Graduate School BRINGING THE ALOHA SPIRIT TO A MAINLAND CAMPUS: EXPERIENCES OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN STUDENTS PURSUING THEIR COLLEGE DEGREES A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Alethea N. Stovall College of Education and Behavioral Sciences School of Leadership, Policy, and Development: Higher Education and P-12 Education Higher Education and Student Affair Leadership (HESAL) December 2017 This Dissertation by: Alethea N. Stovall Entitled: Bringing the Aloha Spirit to a Mainland Campus: Experiences of Native Hawaiian Students Pursuing Their College Degrees has been approved as meeting the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in College of Education and Behavioral Sciences in School of Leadership, Policy, and Development: Higher Education and P-12 Education, Program of Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership (HESAL) Accepted by the Doctoral Committee ____________________________________________________ Matthew Birnbaum, Ph.D., Research Advisor ____________________________________________________ Florence M. Guido, Ph.D., Committee Member ____________________________________________________ Michelle Low, Ph.D., Committee Member ____________________________________________________ Keiko Krahnke, Ph.D., Faculty Representative Date of Dissertation Defense . Accepted by the Graduate School ____________________________________________________________ Linda L. Black, Ed.D. Associate Provost and Dean Graduate School and International Admissions ABSTRACT Stovall, Alethea N. Bringing the Aloha Spirit to a Mainland Campus: Experiences of Native Hawaiian Students Pursuing Their College Degrees. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2017. Four undergraduate students shared stories of their experiences while navigating a Predominately White Mainland Institution. Using a social constructivist hermeneutic Indigenous theory, this qualitative research study involved both focus groups, and semi- structured interviews at a Carnegie research institution. Each of the focus groups and semi-structured interviews involved all of the four participants. Participant profiles were created that reflected five themes in attending a mainland university. Analysis of the data revealed five themes: cultural differences, sacredness of land, The Aloha Spirit, relationships, and leaving the mainland without a college degree. Through further analysis, cultural differences revealed a sub-theme, microaggressions and developing a minority status. Relationships revealed three subthemes, including ancestors, importance of being together, and talking Pidgin. Implications and recommendations for student affairs practitioners included development of a student development model that is centered on the experiences of Native Hawaiian students. For senior level administrators, findings from this inquiry called for continued investments into a campus culture center specifically for Native Hawaiian students. In addition, re-engineering pipelines to connect Native Hawaiian students back “to place” to stay connected to their land and iii geographical connections, constructing an accessible space to explore their own culture and history. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, thank you, heavenly father for the leading me on this path and for always placing supportive people in my life. To my family, thank you for always believing in me! You have been my support through all of this. To my littles: Aziza, you continue to amaze me by your natural curiosity and love of life. Your funny sense of humor coupled with your hearty laugh always reminded me to stop and enjoy what really matters in this life, you! Neven, your heart and tenderness make the world a better place. I hope the world always brings you the type of joy you bring to others. Aleela, your funny sense of humor consistently shines through. I always want you to be you; funny, creative, and a free spirit. To my love, Joe. Thank you for always standing by my side and your unequivocal support, even when I didn’t think I could push any further, you knew I would always find a way through. The champion of champions. Together, we achieved this accomplishment. I am forever grateful to you, in allowing me the time and space to fight for a dream I dared to dream. You are a wonderful father to our kids and an amazing partner. I cannot wait to spend evenings, weekends, late nights, etc. being with you. We did it!! To my mom, my ultimate supporter. This is for you and for our ancestors who have made this path possible. Your fierce strength in pushing me to move mountains coupled with the highest love you have shown to my siblings and me. You are a v testament to my upbringing and always striving for goodness in life. Thank you for ALL the late night edit sessions and dropping everything aside when I needed you most during this process. When I was little you told me to dream big. And I did. To all of my siblings (Chanty, Neisha, Paetra, & Angelina) you have been my inspiration. Thanks for letting me be the “boss of you” and still loving me when I returned back home for breaks and holidays. Sonia, my “partner in crime.” Thank you for always daring to dream with me. This dissertation is part of the dreams you and I created when we were younger. I love you! To my research advisor and committee chair, Dr. Matthew Birnbaum. Thank you for the incredible amount of time and energy you have spent on this project with me. Thank you for sticking with me through this entire process. To my other committee members, Dr. Florence Guido, Dr. Michelle Low, and Dr. Keiko Krahnke, Thank you for your enthusiasm and support of this research. The process was a long and windy road and I appreciate the guidance and time commitment you all gave. To my sister scholars group (Cherjanét Lenzy, Reyna Anaya, & Shanika Harvey) I can’t wait to celebrate in your success and accomplishments! I am anxiously waiting for all of you. Finally, Trish Escobar and Eva Rodriguez, your support through all of this has been amazing and heartfelt! Thank you for lending me your courage and strength. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. FOREVER THE LOVE OF HAWAI’I .......................................................1 My Story: Addressing Power Differentials..................................................1 The Need for and Lack of Native Hawaiian Literature .............................12 Problem Statement .....................................................................................13 Identification and Reclaiming Language ...................................................14 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................15 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................16 Methodological Frame ...............................................................................17 Research Questions: Purpose .....................................................................18 Significance of the Study ...........................................................................19 Definition of Terms....................................................................................21 Chapter Summary ......................................................................................21 Overview of the Study ...............................................................................21 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...........................................................23 Native Hawaiians in College .....................................................................23 Importance of College Degree .......................................................24 Native Hawaiian College Completion Rates .................................25 Disaggregating Native Hawaiian Graduation Rates ......................26 Student Retention Theorists ...........................................................28 Application of Retention of Retention Theories to Hawaiian Students ..............................................................................31 The Colonization of Hawai’i .....................................................................31 History of Hawai’i .........................................................................32 Hawaiian Sovereignty ....................................................................35 Trends in Education in Hawai’i .....................................................36 Native Hawaiian Education Act .....................................................37