Reshaping Samoan cultural values in a postcolonial education system.

Abstract

The study indicate the tensions that result through the nexus of traditional and colonial values in the Samoan education system. The aim of this study is to comprehend Samoan cultural values and how Samoan values are vital in teacher education practices. The study is situated within the overall context of the Samoan education system. Education stakeholders have identified a range of educational issues as impediments to the education of Samoan students, namely conflicting value systems, namely the traditional value system, and values determined by the influence of colonisation and globalization. These conflicting values have led to the lowering of standards in the performance of trainee teachers. Theories of globalization and post-colonialism are used in this book to illustrate the impact of colonial and global values on the education system and the contested space of traditional values in the lives of Samoan children. Drawing on post-colonialism and globalization, this study offers a contextual analysis of the colonial, post-colonial and globalised orientations of the Samoan teacher education program. The study adopts standpoint theory to foreground the 'indigenous', marginalised voices often considered inferior in the educational world. Advocates of standpoint theory support the voice of this study through the presentation of arguments relating to indigenous traditional values and their significance in the educational processes of Samoan children in school. Using data from community elders, administrators, lecturers, and students, this study presents a thematic analysis of the current value system, The traditional value system, as invested in education and attempts to capture participants’ perspectives with regards to the traditional value system. The results of the analysis illustrate that the Samoan education system at present does not attribute explicit attention to traditional value system and there is inadequate inclusion of these values. Hence, there are underperforming teacher trainees, as identified by the Faculty of Education, interview participants. The study recommends that, while there are no easy answers, an attempt to incorporate traditional values alongside global values would warrant a change in teacher education programs.