Hawai‘i Educational Research Association. Constructing School Identity Through Stories: Inside a Hawaiian Culture-Based School

• In Event: The Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations Distinguished Paper Session 3

Abstract

This case study of Kanu o ka ‘Āina Public Charter School explored how stories told within and about an institution, by members of the institution, help to construct a Hawaiian culture-based school’s collective identity. Data included observations of classes and interviews with seven administrators and teachers and four students. Results indicated broad espousal of and identification with a core school narrative, which could be attributed to occasions for remembering embedded in daily collective practices. Results suggested that schools may project an identity through the telling and retelling of particular stories, which can impact students’ senses of self. As such, an awareness of what stories are being told and retold on campus could be significant in understanding a school’s collective identity.

Author

• Kelsey Matsu, University of Hawaii