We explored the associations of collective self-esteem and parent educational practices with school engagement in a sample of 128 Samoan middle and high school students in an urban school district. Simultaneous regression analysis revealed that each of these independent variables contributed to significant variance in school engagement.…

This study takes a transnational and collaborative approach to explore how Pacific Island educators are using web 2.0 technology to enhance instruction and facilitate culturally sustaining learning opportunities for emergent bilingual and multilingual students. It is also an analysis of the digital divide for young adolescent users due to…

Contemporary societies, whether in the United States or the Pacific are overwhelmingly visual in character. Yet, schools at all levels continue to privilege written text as demonstrations of learning over any other form of communication. A visual curriculum has the potential to strengthen instruction across disciplines and offers students another…

This study investigated family intergenerational conflict and collective self-esteem as predictors of depression in a sample of 128 Samoan middle and high school students. Simultaneous regression analyses revealed that each independent variable significantly contributed to an overall model that accounted for 13% of the variance in depression.…

The community as part of the social environment is a key social determinant of health and is a central organizing feature of Pacific culture. A collective worldview informs the way social support is conceived in Pacific cultures, and it is core to Samoan and Tongan elders' perceptions of the influence of community on health and well-being. In…

The high prevalence of teen dating violence (TDV) nationally suggests that it is a public health problem in need of intervention. However, there is limited information about what constitutes TDV in the eyes of teens. Equally limited is an understanding of these parameters among diverse cultures. To fill these gaps, the current study conducted…

This study examined how societal changes associated with modernization are related to cognitive development. Data were from 4 cultural communities that represented a broad range of traditional and modern elements: the Garifuna (Belize), Logoli (Kenya), Newars (Nepal), and Samoans (American Samoa). Naturalistic observations and the performances of…

This study examined the relationship between stressful life events, drug use, and self-reported violence perpetration among 293 Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Filipino adolescents. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with students in three high schools in Hawai'i. Stressful life events were delineated into three categories:…

This qualitative study examines the Samoan family and culture as possible sources of risk and/or protection for delinquency among Samoan youth. Study participants included Samoan American youth and parents living in one U.S. state. Data were collected via individual interviews. Results indicate that family practices, dynamics, and socioeconomic…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether school experiences, school performance, and other risk-protective factors were related to violence among Hawaiian, Filipino, and Samoan youths residing in Hawai'i. This study analyzed survey data (N = 325) collected in three high schools having concentrations of Filipino, Hawaiian, and Samoan…

This paper examines various estimates of the Samoan population in the United States and assesses their relation to 1980 census data. Because Samoans were enumerated for the first time as a separate group, because there are no national records of Samoan births and deaths, and because there are no data on migration to the United States or movement…

Focuses on Samoans in Los Angeles to highlight ways that kinship patterns influence cultural adaptation. Finds that the traditional descent corporate group has changed to quasi-kin organization within the migrant community and that because of this, Samoan migrants are relatively less motivated to assimilate into mainstream society. (GC)

Until recently, the educational system has resisted orientation toward change and has represented traditionally enculturated values and cultural stability. Current perspectives, however, indicate that formal schooling is a prominent factor in societal modernization and individual modernity. Exemplifying this aspect of education is the experience…

Uses Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse to examine interview accounts of educational disadvantage provided by Samoan paraprofessionals in secondary schools in Queensland (Australia). Finds that Samoan paraprofessionals attributed educational disadvantage to the arbitrary organization of students, knowledge, and spaces in schooling…

This study investigated the effect of culture on the cognitive styles of Polynesian Asian, and Caucasian Americans in a multicultural school setting. The study attempted to test the Hill scales of cognitive development to determine if they would be a valid predictor of individual cognitive styles. In addition, the investigation tested the popular…