The Infusion of Native Hawaiian Values in Residence Life.

Abstract

The Infusion of Native Hawaiian Values in Residence Life is a phenomenological mixed methods study focusing on the Resident Assistants’ experiences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) during the 2013-14 academic year. This project was, in part, inspired by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2011-2015 Strategic Plan’s goal to promote a Hawaiian place of learning. I interviewed four Native Hawaiian Culture Stakeholders to establish working definitions for the five values representing the Office of Residential Life (ORL): aloha, mālama, ʻohana, kuleana, and poʻokela. These values were then infused into all aspects of the training system and the programming model for the 2013-14 academic year. Prior to the start of the 2013-14 academic year, a pre- and post- training survey took place, which empirically documented significant increases in the understanding of Native Hawaiian values, culture, and history. After the conclusion of the 2013-14 academic year, I interviewed twelve RAs regarding their experience with the infusion of Native Hawaiian values. I coded the RAs’ responses into subgroups as I found that their conclusions were influenced by their personal ethnic and cultural backgrounds in addition to their plans for a future relationship with Hawaiʻi. The Native Hawaiian RAs were unimpressed and felt the infusion was taught in a limited fashion. The Local RAs supported the infusion and their understanding of Native Hawaiian values aligned with the given definitions. Although the Supportive Continental RAs did not fully understand the Native Hawaiian values, they agreed with the infusion, embraced the experience, and shared their vested interest in Hawaiʻi, while the Unsupportive Continental RAs misunderstood the content and were dismissive of the redesigned program. These results can inform future training system designs and hiring practices.