Quality education is an often-heard term that has no single meaning. In this paper, we use the metaphor of mat weaving to structure an exploration of various elements that inform quality education. To form the mat, a warp of literature-derived threads is woven with the weft of practitioners' ideas of quality education. These local perspectives…

A sometimes-neglected aim of education in the context of Maori, the tangata whenau (indigenous peoples) of Aotearoa New Zealand, is to build Maori students (tauira) as Maori, a process that supports them to navigate the academic world as well as enhancing their "Maoritanga" (Maori practices, beliefs, way of life). Notions of educational…

Oralities research has a central place in supporting sustainable education in the Oceania region because it has the potential to reveal what education does and could mean to communities at the local level. In this way, oralities research can assist interventions that key into and make sense of local ontological positions. The Oceania Oralities…

As theorised by Etienne Wenger, communities of practice are becoming settled as a framework for community engagement within Aotearoa New Zealand schools. In this article, the authors critically analyse the assumptions and inequities that can arise when communities of practice prioritise school values and staff comfort over the priorities of…

This paper delves into the innovative use of the potluck, or "pa'ina," as a metaphor to reimagine a research approach aimed at fostering collective understanding between non-Indigenous knowledge seekers and Indigenous knowledge guardians in Indigenous contexts. By embracing the broader context of research, this metaphor strives to create…

Globally, there are increasing demands to decolonize education. As a result, the integration of Indigenous Knowledges and worldviews into Early Childhood Education has become a pertinent issue. Few studies have examined methodological frameworks for integrating Indigenous Knowledges into early learning in Ghana. This article examined the…

A literature review is generally a compendium of written material on a topic presented as research background. It functions to describe what is known in academic circles and to justify research questions that step beyond the known. A more nuanced approach involves getting "beneath the skin" of the literature itself; considering the…

The paper focusses on three aspects of our work with the urban poor: utilization of participatory research methodologies to elicit local knowledge in forms that do not require traditional education; building capacities to create active organized citizenry through catalysing Settlement Improvement Committees, which are representative bodies…

Across cultures, young children learn primarily within their family, with the family's culture positioning the values, language and purpose of children's learning toward the family's goals. Quality education begins within families, and at school entry age, children's learning within their families is critical to their educational success. However,…

This paper examines contradictions between Epstein's 2010 US-based model promoting a learner-centred approach to education and a view that schools should uphold iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) traditions. Epstein's school, family, community partnerships model is discussed with a focus on why it conflicts with the iTaukei traditional setting in rural…

Donor-funded programmes in areas such as leadership development take place in every continent. In the Western Pacific, Melanesia has been host to such programmes based on non-Melanesian thought and practice over the years. However, a review of donor-funded leadership programmes in the region reveals a history of concern regarding effectiveness but…

This article takes a relational approach to Pacific leadership by presenting three layers of discussion. First, we provide findings from our research team members about the relationships between the Pacific community and school leaders' understandings of leadership. We include accounts of how leaders negotiate in context between forms of…

Education in Samoa is strongly influenced by western theories of teaching and learning. Through the influence of missionaries in colonial times, and the subsequent impact of colonial policies, education has become a central site for contestation of identity. The transition to an independent state led Samoa to seek help in restructuring its…

This research reports the impact of changes made to an Arts education module in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures within a Bachelor of Education degree, and the learning and experience of pre-service teachers in response to these changes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and visual arts making was presented in…

Sustainable development, like climate change, has become the new rave globally, regionally, and nationally. At the University of the South Pacific (USP), where I work, it is in your face when you open its website: "Excellence and sustainability in higher education". It is also assumed that most people in the world today know what the 17…