Talanoa as a Research Method(ology): Exploring its Utility and Application in Higher Education Research

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Community-Rooted Approaches and AANHPI Communities

Abstract

While research has often been used as an imperialistic and colonizing tool to extrapolate knowledge from indigenous communities, there has been a shift towards using decolonizing methodologies to center indigenous knowledge in research. Talanoa, which translates to talk story, has been used as a method and methodology by Pacific Islander scholars to center indigenous ontoepistemologies and advocate for community needs. Although there is a growing body of literature, much of the scholarship on talanoa is based in the Pacific and few have explored its utility in higher education research. To expand on this area of research, this study explores how two U.S.-trained Pacific Islander scholars use talanoa in their research to support Pacific Islanders in higher education.

Authors

• Demeturie Toso-Lafaele Gogue, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Natasha A. Saelua, Texas State University