The study focused on language skills of students entering and exiting from introductory Samoan classes at American Samoa Community College. The problem was growing writing deficiencies in Samoan evidenced by students' performance on the Samoan Studies Institute Exam for Basic Samoan Classes and classroom work. Faculty needed a swift grammatical intervention to address students' weaknesses. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental ex post facto study was to determine if a difference existed pretest to posttest in scores on the Samoan Studies Institute exam. Summative assessment theory and conversational teaching theory guided the research. Archival data comprising Samoan Studies Institute exam scores for 175 students were analyzed using a paired t test to answer the research question about pretest-posttest differences in exam scores. The results revealed a significant increase in scores, reflecting increased understanding of basic Samoan grammar needed in introductory level Samoan courses. The results suggest viable solutions Samoan Studies Institute faculty may use to address the problem. Learning Samoan grammar at the tertiary level is important to improve writing skills in the native language of Samoa. In time, students will continue using their native language in their discourse communities. Replication in other institutions may increase generalizability of the findings. Qualitative phenomenological or narrative research may reveal deeper understanding of teaching and learning Samoan. Efforts to promote Samoan studies necessitate that educators take a proactive stand toward the Samoan language. Local leaders and practitioners must develop complementary programs at the family and village level. People in American Samoa must reexamine their attitudes about the utility of the Samoan language in the modern world. There is room and purpose for both English and Samoan, but only through the Samoan language can the Samoan culture and heritage be expressed fully and completely and lived as it was destined. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]