A Culturally Responsive Apprenticeship Model of Research With Underrepresented Minority Students in the Pacific

• In Event: Accepting Educational Responsibility: Indigenous Models of Innovation and Collaborative Research

Abstract

This study works to address issues related to the underrepresentation and lack of persistence of Pacific Islanders in STEM fields by seeking insight into how six undergraduate apprentice researchers, each of Pacific Island descent and upbringing, navigated participation in a culturally responsive research project. The findings include the apprentices’ personal reflections on their emerging cultural identities and understandings throughout the process and how they experienced participation in the research project. The insights gained include several critical insights and milestones reached by the apprentices during the project and the articulation of culturally grounded insights that can be used to inform STEM programs on how to be more responsive to the needs of Indigenous students, particularly those from the Pacific Islands.

Authors

• Tobias Irish, University of Hawaii - Hilo

• Joseph Genz, University of Hawaii - Hilo

• Sangueza Cheryl, University of Guam

• Jerolynn Myazoe, University of Hawaii - Hilo

• Shania Tamagyongfal, University of Hawaii - Hilo

• Muturwan Choay, University of Guam