Ed.D. - Education

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/9166

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Wahine Aloha ʻĀina: A multi- case analysis of wahine concepts of leadership in ʻāina educational based nonprofits and their effects on teaching and learning in their spaces
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2025) Wong, Chanel; Kahumoku III, Walter; Education
This research explores the experiences and leadership practices of female leaders in ʻāinaeducational-based nonprofits in Hawaiʻi. ʻĀina (land) education, grounded in the belief that the land, sea, and air sustain life, plays a pivotal role in the restoration and sustainability of Hawaiian culture and communities. Through this qualitative, phenomenological multi-case study, the research aims to examine how female leaders within these nonprofits lead and how their leadership influences the work they do. Initial conversations and interviews with female leaders, combined with observational field notes, uncovered critical leadership concepts that inform the study of leadership and contribute to a deeper understanding of Native Hawaiian female leadership and those practices that support the survival and sustainability of both the ʻāina and kanaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiians). These findings also inform strategies for the development of future female leaders in these crucial spaces. Key Words: Wāhine leadership, ʻĀina Educational Nonprofits, Tea
Adapting Montessori Education: A Study of Implementation in Poland
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Blackwell, Andrea L.; Cheng, Baoyan; Education
The Montessori method, first developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1907, has been adapted globally to meet the diverse needs of students and educational contexts. This study investigates how the Montessori method is implemented in Poland, through the use of qualitative methods with a case study approach. This research utilized observations, in-depth interviews, and document analysis to assess the challenges and adaptations in the implementation process. Findings indicate that Poland’s state regulations, the use of extrinsic rewards, and the discontinuation of multi-age groupings after the fourth grade at IMSP, pose significant challenges to maintaining the authenticity of Montessori education. This study underscores the importance of teacher training and strong administrative support for maintaining the fidelity of Montessori education. It also calls attention to the absence of universally accepted standards for Montessori schools, which complicates efforts to define and measure the "authenticity" of the method. These findings suggest that the challenges of adapting the Montessori method may be more universal than previously understood, particularly in relation to teacher preparation, classroom management, and curriculum flexibility. “Adaptation to the environment is something positive, a starting point from which a person can go a long way. Adaptation to the environment is the first necessity.” —Maria Montessori (1946, as cited in Haines, 2012, p. 87)
Conceptualizing the Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Issues General Education Requirement at UH Mānoa: a Qualitative Case Study using Kingdon's Multiple Streams Approach and Kanaka ‘Ōiwi Critical Race Theory
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Keller, Carmen; Reyes, Nicole; Education
This study applied Kingdon’s (2003) Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) in conjunction with Kanaka ‘Ōiwi Critical Race Theories (Wright & Balutski, 2015; Salis Reyes, 2018) to contextualize the creation of the Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Issues (HAP) general education requirement at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa), a large, public, Research One, and self-identified Indigenous serving university located on the island of O‘ahu. Utilizing qualitative case study methodology and data sources including institutional documents, archival records, and qualitative interviews with faculty members, this study examined the various elements of influence, organized into MSA’s problems, policy, and political streams, to articulate how a particular policy came to be within our institution of study. Furthermore, Kanaka ‘Ōiwi Critical Race Theories served to interrogate the various influences race and racism, settler colonialism, and institutional isomorphism had in shaping policy and decision making. The results of this study informed recommendations for policymaking and future research pertaining to Indigenous serving and Minority Serving Institutions.
Collective Conversations: A Case Study on the Future Vision of Success for Mauiʻs Kaiapuni Education Program
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2024) Kiili, Rebecca Kapolei; Ideta, Lori M.; Education
Ka Papahana Kaiapuni, the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program (HLIP), also called Kula Kaiapuni on Maui is unique in that all schools are situated on public school campuses of the Hawaiʻi Department of Education (HiDOE). Seven schools span the island from the rural town of Hāna, through Hamakuapoko, or Upcountry community, and then to Lahaina, the city of Hawaiʻi’s first missionary school at the prominent and historical Lahainaluna High School. To support the overall increased interests in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi education, this study was undertaken to capture stakeholder input on a future vision of success for Maui’s Kaiapuni education program.
NAVIGATING THE HIGH SEAS OF HIGHER EDUCATION: HOW AND WHY COLLEGE COMPLETERS FROM THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR ISLAND NATIONS
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2023) Haleyalpiy, Malyntha Epainug; Salis Reyes, Nicole; Education
As newer immigrants to Hawaiʻi, people from the Freely Associated States (FAS), which consist of the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, have endured tremendous discrimination and dehumanizing treatment in public arenas, including educational systems. Though there is limited research available on the experiences of FAS citizens in higher education, what is available suggests that they are underserved and underrepresented in Hawaiʻi and U.S. institutions. This is a concern of social inequity and the impetus behind this study. In this qualitative study, I employ Cheldecheduch, an Indigenous talk story method, to conduct five semi-structured interviews with FAS college completers who are working and contributing to their island nations. My interest in this study was two-fold: 1) to explore the successful experiences of FAS students in higher education, including how and why they contribute to their island nations, and 2) to inform how higher education can better support the success of incoming FAS students. Findings of this study revealed that participants relied on intellectual, physical, and spiritual strengths to thrive in higher education; furthermore, that they drew on what they gained through their higher education journeys to give back to their island nations in intellectual, physical, and spiritual ways. Recommendations for future practice in higher education institutions include the importance developing closer and more cooperative liaison relationships with FAS nations. In addition, higher education researchers and practitioners should explore of the realm of spirituality as a necessary source of knowledge production among FAS students and their communities.
An Exploration of Teaching Hawaiian Concepts of Kaikuaʻana and Kaikaina through Minecraft
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Estrella, Raymond Kaimana; Nguyen, Thanh Truc T.; Education
Video games, such as the popularized game Minecraft, have been used in a variety of educational settings and learning contexts. Though academic findings of video game usage are mixed, increases in learning competencies, skills and engagement were apparent. While faced with creating an alternative learning plan for teaching kaikuaʻana and kaikaina Hawaiian governance concepts during the COVID-19 pandemic, a college course instructor had chosen to use Minecraft as a platform for student learning. This blended narrative inquiry case study examined how an instructor’s choices in utilizing Minecraft might have affected the learning of kaikuaʻana and kaikaina concepts in a college Hawaiian governance course. This qualitative study portrayed the instructor’s story and journey of using Minecraft. From synthesis of emerging themes came the Model for Utilizing Minecraft to Teach Kaikuaʻana and Kaikaina Principles that included the following five components—informed decision making, deliberate instructional choices, meaningful Minecraft experiences, awareness based pivoting, and instructor’s reflection and learnings.
"i Need Community to Make it Through": Understanding College Readiness Among Native Hawaiian Students
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Bumatai, Amy; Reyes, Nicole A.; Education
Despite the growing visibility of equity and access work in higher education, increasing the college degree attainment of Native Hawaiian students remains an urgent goal. The University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu, a regional public university, has the vision and location to realize this kuleana. Colonization and the illegal occupation of Hawaiʻi led to complex and dissonant relationships between Native Hawaiian people and educational systems, which is notably prevalent as students learn about and prepare for college. Since Native Hawaiian people and topics of college readiness have long been discussed through a deficit narrative, it is imperative to learn from the experiences of Native Hawaiian college students and understand how their inherent strengths prepare them for college. Through the methods of Indigenous storywork, semi-structured conversations were conducted with six Native Hawaiian college students at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu to explore their perceptions of college readiness through stories. This study shares lessons on how the students’ sense of purpose, intergenerational strength, and worldviews are the foundation of their readiness for college. This research offers recommendations for college admissions staff and student affairs divisions to center their practices around the college readiness strengths of Native Hawaiian students.
A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Professional School Counselors Working In Communities Of Color During The COVID-19 Pandemic
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Jackson, Zandra W. Hunter; Lucas, Christopher M.; Education
In 2020, the world faced a significant obstacle that halted day-to-day living; the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time students from low-income families in communities of color faced additional barriers, such as a lack of healthy food at home, little to no health insurance, and limited access to mental health services. Given these barriers, some students' most stable support system was ultimately at their enrolled school.There was substantial literature on the importance of Professional School Counselors (PSC) supporting students in communities of color. However, many studies and research efforts determined that PSC experiences were associated with non-counseling duties and job stress, leading to burnout (Bardhoshi et al., 2014; Caple, 2017; Fye et al., 2020; Kim & Lambie, 2018; Moyer, 2011; Mullen et al., 2018; Mullen & Gutierrez, 2016). This hermeneutic phenomenological study indicated several challenging experiences for Professional School Counselors, including perceptions of support, role conflict, and access to resources. Additionally, their experiences aligned well with the strengths-based capitals in Tara Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth Theory Framework. Professional School Counselors continue to face the same work-related challenges during the pandemic as they did before. Therefore, they must continue to advocate for their roles and responsibilities to align with what is suggested by ASCA. This alignment will allow PSCs to provide academic, behavioral, and social/emotional services to all students, including those in communities of color.
Reawakened Spirit, Kindled Heart: The Integration Of Career Development In Career And Technical Education At The University Of Hawai‘i Maui College
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Jorg, Renee Rose Morala; Ideta, Lori M.; Education
In 2023, the value of a college education is being questioned. Because information is readily available, we Google what we want to know, type a query or phrase into ChatGPT, press the enter key, and then a multitude of answers become accessible. However, in this age of technology, online access, and Artificial Intelligence, could self-directed education be adequate for developing the skills and knowledge necessary to accomplish our chosen careers and develop the nation's workforce? For centuries, higher education has been the source of opportunity, advanced credentials, and credibility. Therefore, colleges require the investment of time, money, and resources to equip students with the skills and capacities necessary for self-sustaining careers. With the rising cost of higher education, this dissertation examines the return on investment in career acquisition among college students. When college admission serves as the legally binding contract between students and educational institutions, what education and benefits do college graduates receive and justly deserve to obtain gainful employment? The study emphasizes the value of education in achieving career attainment. This study seeks to inspire and empower college students to take charge of their career pursuits. This dissertation debunks passive students who mindlessly enter college without a sense of purpose and passion or who claim that college is not for them. These multi-case study showcases the Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism programs at the University of Hawai'i Maui College, highlighting the integration of career development knowledge and process into its academic instruction to elevate students' capacity to attain their chosen careers as they reach college completion.
Teacher Moʻolelo (Stories and Perspectives) on an iPad Rollout: A Narrative Inquiry Within a Hawaiian School Setting
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Correa, Lisa; Nguyen, Thanh Truc T.; Education
This qualitative, narrative inquiry study explored technology integration in a Hawaiian culture-based learning environment through teacher mo’olelo (stories) of their seven-year post-implementation reflections of a 1:1 student iPad rollout program participation. Since the adoption of the iPads took place in 2014 at Duke Elementary School, the problem of practice was the opportunity to improve an understanding of how integrating technology supports 21st century skills and knowledge for all students within a Hawaiian culture-based learning environment. Therefore, the research questions for this study were: 1) From a teacher's perspective, what did they consider success regarding the iPad rollout? 2) What approaches did teachers propose to continue building capacity for ICT integration into the curriculum and elevate faculty ICT self-efficacy? 3) What lessons did teachers learn five years after the iPad rollout? The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to understand how teacher participants defined Information Communication Technology (ICT) self-efficacy within a Hawaiian culture-based learning environment, and (2) to understand how teacher participants made sense of the intersection of their teaching practices and ICT self-efficacy to support the development of a Hawaiian culture-based learning environment. Participants were elementary school teachers who were part of the program before the student iPads were distributed. Data was collected through individual and focus group teacher interviews. School documents were also reviewed. Three emerging themes were the use of effective teaching strategies, teacher experience, teacher performance, and persistence through the challenge. Four significant implications were considered. First were how critical reflections by teachers triggered the recollection and a transformative learning process. Second was that Professional Learning Communities (PLC) were organically formed during the iPad rollout and offered a safe space for teacher development, a professional sense of belonging, and individual accountability in the shift towards a technological campus. Third was the intersection of ICT and self-efficacy within a Hawaiian Culture-Based Educational setting, which illuminated how instrumental teacher development with technology tools is to support their growth as culturally responsive digital teachers. And, last was that not all participants valued the importance of the iPad integration but looked at it as a supplemental tool for young learners.
The Demise Of Hawaiian Language Common Schools Attendance In The Hawaiian Kingdom: A Historical Econometric Factor And Revealed Preferences Analysis
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Ng, Larson Siu Wah Moke; Yoshioka, Jon; Education
The demise of the Hawaiian language medium schools known as the “common schools” during the Hawaiian Kingdom has been an issue that has been widely debated among education historians over the years. Although many theories have been offered, most explanations lacked sufficient quantitative evidence to support their respective views, despite the availability of quantitative data that was officially and meticulously kept by the Kingdom’s government. Consequently, using available Kingdom government documents, this research focused its efforts to econometrically investigate the major demand and supply factors that contributed to the decline of common schools attendance from 1864 to 1893 as well as determine the prevailing and/or whether any shift occurred in aboriginal Hawaiian education revealed preferences in that analysis. After reviewing the historical trends of the Hawaiian population, Kingdom schools, and government funding during that period, a correlation as well as bivariate and multiple regression analyses were employed to statistically determine the relationship and contribution of each factor both individually and synergistically. Looking at the econometric results, with the exception of government common schools funding, each examined factor did play a role in the decline of common schools attendance. However, only the aboriginal Hawaiian population, the overall number of the Kingdom’s schools, and the number of common schools registered positive individual influence towards common schools attendance. Synergistically, the aboriginal Hawaiian population was found to have the most statistically significant positive effect on common schools attendance, while the growth of the Kingdom’s sponsored English and independent schools had the most statistically significant negative effects. Government funding to non-common schools was found having a negative influence, but effect was determined not statistically significant. Finally, with respect to the question of what was or whether there was any education revealed preferences shift among aboriginal Hawaiians, specific historical trends corroborated by the earlier derived econometric results confirmed that a shift from the Hawaiian language common to English language non-common schools did occur among aboriginal Hawaiians from 1879 to 1893. The results of this analysis led to a number of implications. The first implication debunks one of the most incorrectly held notions regarding the decline of Hawaiian language common schools. The second implication suggests that the decline of the common schools was not solely due to human intervention, but can be partially attributed to natural causes. The third implication explains how the disparities in funding between the Kingdom’s Hawaiian language common and sponsored English schools were government policy and not conspiracy. The final implication deals with the relationship between aboriginal Hawaiians education revealed preferences and agency. Finally, this study suggests three areas of future research: additional research to uncover the specific nuances of Hawaiian Kingdom’s common, English, and independent schools; an examination of exogenous factors in regards to the decline of common schools attendance and aboriginal Hawaiian education revealed preferences; and an analysis of the factors that contributed to the rise in the Hawaiian Kingdom’s sponsored English schools attendance. The pursuit of these endeavors would not only enhance the current understanding of the decline of common schools attendance and aboriginal Hawaiian education revealed preferences, but could also provide current Hawaiian educators with accurate and reliable Kingdom era kupuna knowledge that could inform future directions aboriginal Hawaiian education should take to not only maximize knowledge acquisition, but also prepare their students to contribute to the national restoration and sovereign administration of Lāhui Hawai‘i.
Teachers As Policy Agents: Enacting The Professional Learning Community Policy As An Agentic, Ecological Process
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Teruya, Jenna; Means, Alexander J.; Education
Contrary to depictions of the educational policy process as a rational set of linear stages, policies are (re)shaped by the larger organizational/policy environment, teachers’ perceptions of a policy and their own roles, how they choose to act upon a policy, and how these change over time. Each of these elements and their interactions are crucial to whether a policy succeeds in practice. Drawing upon the fields of policy studies, teacher agency, organizational change, and Foucauldian governmentality, this ethnographic case study and practitioner inquiry focused on teachers’ enactment of a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) policy during the on-going global Pandemic, at an urban, private high school in Hawaiʻi. The research questions focused on how the policy ecology and teachers’ perceptions, agency, and enactment of the policy have changed over time, and how each of these and their interactions impact the overall policy implementation process. The findings suggested that the policy ecology and teachers’ internal frameworks impacted teachers’ policy perceptions and agency in a variety of ways, leading to many modes of enactment, from positive engagement, compliance and resistance, to critical enactment. The outcomes of the policy included impacts on teachers’ practice, mindsets, and subjectification, and ambiguity over the overall policy’s efficacy.
Fostering Environmental Identity with High School Students
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Trinh, Cam-Tu; Trinh, Cam-Tu T.; Education
SBiC is a sustainability focused biodiversity curriculum developed for high school chemistry students. The curriculum was designed based on students learning chemistry concepts in class along with lessons and activities to gear them toward a sustainable attitude with the local environment. From that, students designed and carried out scientific investigations using real data they collected around their school. This qualitative case study explored the impacts of students with SBiC, as well as their interactions with the environment. Data were collected through various surveys, participant reflections, observations, focus group interviews and student artifacts including the physical garden they built from empty milk cartons and a final video to summarize the process of how to build the garden. To track the environmental identity development of 30 students as a whole case and three students as an embedded case study, a hierarchical scale was developed and utilized. The scale included three vertical stages and eight sub stages that ran horizontally. The scale was built on the analysis of students’ expressions and thoughts. Three stages were documented and arranged from the common themes listed from their expressions. Starting from the first stage, which contained ideas most students commonly mentioned, more complex thoughts and ideas were introduced as students moved up the scale. Findings indicated that after exposure to the SBiC curriculum, 21 students had ascended across the sub-stages of the first stage, eight students had completed the curriculum ending at the start of the second stage, and only one student had reached the third stage at the end of the study. Keywords: environmental identity development, sustainability
Validation of field estimates of body composition against the 4-compartment Gold Standard with homogeneous Japanese males
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Roberts, Sean Yoshio; Kimura, Iris; Education
Field body composition models are derived for specific populations using regression analysis. In order to generalize these field models to different populations, it is necessary to validate the field models against appropriate validated reference measures. The purpose of this study was to use a group of homogenous Japanese males to validate a number of field estimates, as well as two-compartment (2C), and three compartment (3C) laboratory models against the “gold standard”, four-compartment (4C) reference model. Skinfold measurements, underwater weighing (UWW), Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), and total body water (deuterium dilution) data were collected on 20 ethnically Japanese males between the ages of 18 and 45. Skinfold measurements (Jackson & Pollock 3- and 7-site, Nagamine, Kagawa, Minematsu) were used to estimate body fat percentage (%BF). Models were compared using Spearman’s rho, one sample Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, and Bland-Altman plots. Estimated %BF for the participants ranged from 16.1±7.1% to 23.7±8.0% with the 4C reference at 18.5±8.0%. All 2C and 3C models were significantly correlated with the 4C model (Ρ=0.707 to 0.997, p<0.01 for all), but there were significant differences between the 4C reference and the Jackson & Pollock 3-site, Kagawa, DXA, and Siri 3C models (p<0.03 for all). Results of this study indicated that the Jackson & Pollock 7-site skinfold equation was the most valid field model, and the Siri 3C model was the most valid the laboratory model when compared to the Lohman 4C Gold Standard reference model for Japanese males.
Cultivating Social-emotional Development Through Personal Connections: The Narratives Of High School Graduates
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Matian, Angela. Lehua Esver; Ideta, Lori M.; Education
Adolescence is a period of life for self-exploration and social development (Williamson et al., 2015). The hope is that during this journey, teenagers develop the social and emotional skills they will need later in life. This qualitative study invited 15 former students to reflect on the experiences that contributed to their social-emotional development. The participants of this study graduated from a secondary school in California between 2007 and 2016. Narrative inquiry captured a series of events former students perceived to be pivotal to their own social and emotional learning (SEL). Using a strengths-based approach helped to identify the social behaviors and practices that promote SEL during adolescence. Findings suggest that healthy SEL is based on the quality of social interactions among family, school, and peers are significant to SED. For the participants of this study quality relationships are characterized by a sense of belonging, access to information and knowledge, self-exploration, and acknowledgment. These four social factors foster SEL and are essential to building relationships with teenagers.
Failing to Survive: Autoethnography of an Accidental Educator
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Nakano, Gregg; Zuercher, Deborah; Education
Abstract The potential for humans to influence Earth’s climate was theorized by scientists like Svante Arrhenius as early as 1896. Yet, as late as 2020, political leaders, like the former President Donald Trump, and the people who follow them continue to doubt the possibility. With growing scientific evidence that human activities are degrading our planet’s ecosystem carrying capacity and creating a 6th mass extinction event (Naggs, 2017), the need to address climate change as a national security issue has become urgent. Our obligation to prepare the next generation for man-made climate change threats is recognized by teachers, students and parents alike. But while more than 80% of American teachers and parents believe that climate change should be taught in school, fewer than 60% of the teachers feel it falls within their classroom subject area (NPR, 2019). And without the additional personnel, funds and resources political recognition would bring, humanity’s accelerating climate crisis remains largely untaught. In 2016, I began creating Pacific ALLIES, an experiential service learning curriculum designed to teach students, cadets and midshipmen the climate change impacts on national security by transforming Kwajalein Atoll into a living sustainability laboratory. “Failing to Survive” constitutes my reflections on the research question: From an autoethnographic perspective, what were the critical turning points in my life that led me to develop Pacific ALLIES as a means of existential education with potential to prepare next generation leaders for the climate change challenges they will face in the 21st Century? My use of qualitative evocative autoethnography allowed the intentional self-reflection of past learning to provide a personal perspective on a shared cultural experience (Ellis, 2004) while personal conflicts and perceptual turning points in my life were used to examine and critique issues of larger social consequence (Jones et al., 2016). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943) provided my perceptual theoretical framework while Marcia’s (1980) framework for identity in adolescents provided a chronological roadmap to identify the metamorphic “phase changes” in my personal identity. My research found that my decision to create Pacific ALLIES was the result of four distinct identity transformations driven by internal struggles created by gaps between the norms I had been taught in school and the realities I was living as a Marine infantry and intelligence officer, international student in China and Iran, and disaster coordination officer for USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. More than a positivist offering of exemplary scholarship, “Failing to Survive” is an academic attempt to make an honest accounting of my life. In revisiting how many times I’ve failed my expectations of myself, I offer this study as a cautionary tale. My only hope is that as the reader identifies the many shortcomings in my research and life decisions, they will be reinvigorated to teach in a way that prepares the next generation for the climate change challenges we leave unsolved.
If You Can Hear My Voice: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Professional Journey Of Eight First-year Teachers
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Tiffany-Kinder, Ronnie; Simpson Steele, Jamie; Education
The first year of teaching is a time of excitement, wonder and exploration. It can also be a time of uncertainty, doubt and survival. This qualitative study explores the questions, “What are the experiences of first-year elementary school teachers teaching in Hawaiʻi public schools” and “What can be learned from these experiences?” The participants were eight first-year teachers who graduated from a teacher preparation program that followed a cohort model. The purpose of this study was to understand the participants’ experiences as told through their stories. They shared their stories through semi-structured individual and focus-group interviews held throughout the academic year. This study employed a narrative inquiry approach to gain insight into their experiences and applied thematic analysis to identify themes and patterns across their stories. The theoretical framework of Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain’s (1998) Figured Worlds provided a lens for analyzing these stories. Findings suggest the experiences of these first-year teachers are impacted by their social and cultural interactions with their colleagues, mentors, students and parents which in turn played upon their self-efficacy and confidence. New teachers also are challenged by their workloads both in and out of the classroom, leading them to develop procedures and systems to manage their time and tasks. Based on these insights into the experiences of first-year teachers, this study calls for reimagining how we prepare teachers and how we support them during their early career years.
Mid-Level School Leadership Evaluation: An Exploratory Case Study
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Vuikadavu, Kelly; Nguyen, Thanh Truc T.; Education
Evaluation of people in education focuses mostly on teachers and principals. Evaluations for mid-level school leaders such as vice principals, department heads, deans, content leads, and others, rely on the same evaluation tools for teachers and principals rather than evaluations designed for mid-level school leader’s unique role. This mixed-methods, exploratory case study sought to explore current education-type evaluations to see if any could be reframed for those serving as mid-level school leaders and what limitations, if any, existed in these evaluations. Participants across four school sites on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi that belonged to the Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) were surveyed. Following the surveys, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted, with mid-level school leaders and faculty, to further examine the research questions. Implications and reflections on the data collected, consider possible areas to include from existing evaluations for mid-level leaders and potential limitations to avoid.
Student Voices at UH Hilo: "Do I Belong Here?" A Case Study on Student Perception of Community-Engaged Teaching & How it Impacts their Sense of Belonging at UH Hilo
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Mowrer, Julie; Alencastre, Makalapua; Education
Within the field of higher education, understanding the relationships between student engagement, sense of belonging, and teaching pedagogies are critical to our students’ success. In addition, building community-university partnerships that are reciprocal in nature and bring long-term benefits to the community and the university community can be significant. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the Center for Community Engagement works to build capacity for community-engaged teaching designed to address the larger concepts of student engagement, sense of belonging and community relationships, within a local context of who our students are, where they come from and where they want to go. This qualitative case study seeks to gain student perspectives on community-engaged teaching as a pedagogical approach and how it impacted students’ engagement socially, cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally. The results of the study can help faculty and administrators to better understand which high impact practices might best serve our students and what processes can be used to implement them. Approximately fifty students enrolled in one section of Kinesiology 202: Health Promotion at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, experienced community-engaged learning in a course project that partnered with Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute. As a class, the students learned both the social and scientific elements of youth vaping in Hawaiʻi from the community partner, and about health behavioral models, conducting a needs analysis and other content information from the professor. Over the course of a 16-week semester and working in teams, the students designed a variety of elements for an awareness campaign aimed to decrease youth vaping and presented them to the community partner for their use. Throughout their experience, students answered an anonymous online survey, completed a midterm reflection, and wrote a final reflection on their experience. These three data sets were used to determine students’ perspectives on their experience. The findings revealed that students’ found their experience with community-engaged learning to be beneficial in multiple ways: it contributed to the building of relationships with others, motivated them to work hard to accomplish challenging tasks, and resulted in feelings of satisfaction because their work had a purpose and meaning beyond a grade. These findings will benefit the Center for Community Engagement specifically and the university generally in making informed decisions surrounding the practices and policies of community-engaged teaching.
Papakū Makawalu: A Portal For Hānau Ma Ka Lolo
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Keliʻikipikāneokolohaka, Roxane Kapuaimohalaikalani; Kūkahiko, Eōmailani; Education
Papakū Makawalu is a philosophical and epistemological framework rooted in the Hawaiian worldview. Two working theories were the foundation for study; a common framework that exists among those of us who are Papakū Makawalu practitioners, and Papakū Makawalu facilitates transformational learning. Thus, this multi-case study sought to articulate and unpack Papakū Makawalu and transformational learning from a Hawaiian cultural practitioner perspective. This ʻōiwi-centric research sought to answer three questions: 1) What is Papakū Makawalu?, 2) How does Papakū Makawalu work?, and 3) What is transformational learning from a Hawaiian cultural practitioner perspective? Papakū Makawalu also served as the theoretical framework for this research. Interviews were the primary data collection method; makawalu was the analytical tool for all data sets. An analysis of interview data from all four members of the Papakū Makawalu research team and data articulating my use of Papakū Makawalu revealed three findings: 1) Papakū Makawalu is a cognitive and empirical process that uses a Hawaiian ancestral lens to study and understand the interconnectedness of everything in the natural world the way our kupuna did, 2) The five phases of the Papakū Makawalu methodology were evident in my process of applying Papakū Makawalu learning to PreK-12th grade educational settings and 3) Papakū Makawalu initially begins as a framework for studying and understanding the natural world, but through continuous empirical commitment, the framework evolves into a permanent lens. The learner can potentially be transformed to a level where Papakū Makawalu becomes their lifestyle. To unpack transformational learning, I interviewed three Hawaiian cultural practitioners who are known for their work in training learners through transformative processes. An analysis of this data set indicated that hānau ma ka lolo in a Hawaiian context is achieved through a disciplined process of repetitive connection seeking catalyzed by ritual and maintained through the experiential dedication of the learner. Papakū Makawalu was found to be a framework, methodology, lens, and lifestyle. Learners can be led to the point of puka ma ka lolo, but the individual must then elect and act to extend their transformation to the level of hānau ma ka lolo. Papakū Makawalu catalyzes the progression to hānau ma ka lolo. I captured this process in my resultant theory of expansive hānau ma ka lolo. Recommendations were made for two groups of learners, the Papakū Makawalu novice and Papakū Makawalu practitioners.

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