Counseling In A Hawaiian Context: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Two Hawaiian Culture-Based Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study was to discover the cultural values, strategies, techniques, and goals embedded in the practice of counseling in two Hawaiian culture-based schools. This study also revealed the perspectives of students, and how they felt their school was meeting their social, emotional, and developmental needs. The qualitative methodology of ethnographic case study was employed as the research design and semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis were chosen as research instruments. Findings suggested that cultural recovery, among other counseling functions, was an important factor in meeting the social, emotional, and developmental needs of students interviewed. Although this study was conducted on a small select sample, it lends promise to the continued support and growth for Hawaiian culture-based schools. Implications for policy, research, training, and practice are also discussed.