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Talanoa research methodology: A developing position on Pacific research
Abstract
Talanoa Research Methodology (TRM) contributes to the theorising on Pacific research from a personal and Tongan perspectives. The majority of the thinking and concepts discussed seek to provide a space for Pacific perspectives (as legitimated) in research. It shares similarities with other localised critical research approaches. TRM discusses what constitutes ‘normality’ in research approaches and theorises on appropriate approaches to researching Pacific educational and social issues and the influence Pacific indigenous values have on the way Pacific peoples in New Zealand see and communicate their worlds.
Supplementary resource (1)
... The Talanoa is a dialogical method also used in New Zealand by Pacific Island researchers doing research with Pacific Island communities to promote and allow participants to communicate openly and collectively within a group (Prescott, 2008;Vaioletti, 2006;Vaka, 2014). ...
... Talanoa as a research method for data generation has thus been used in previous studies and reported to be effective for Pacific Island people (Farrelly & Nabobo-Baba, 2012;Latu, 2009;Otsuka, 2006;Otunuku, 2011;Vaka, 2014;. Those who write about Talanoa as a Pacific Island research method describe Talanoa as a holistic combination of emotions, beliefs, experiences, aspirations and actions between researcher and participants (Vaioletti, 2006;Latu, 2009;Prescott, 2008). In addition, Otunuku (2011) described Talanoa as having contextual determinants such as social values, language, professionalism, and personality. ...
... Integral to the application of the process of Talanoa, there is a confirmed place for the conceptual framework of Maori and Pasifika as critical to the research framework (Martin, 2003). This form of gathering information is a research method frequently used in qualitative research by Pacific Island researchers and provided the participants an opportunity to feel safe to tell their stories, offer their perceptions, feelings and experiences that matches their concept of cultural identity (Prescott, 2008;Vaioletti, 2006). The following section gives an example of a data collection method used by Indigenous Australians researchers. ...
Key findings pertaining to power and cultural dynamics, positionality and health inequities, Deficit Discourse, identity versus cultural differences depicted health service delivery to Queensland MPI families. Theoretical lens of neo-colonial and cultural safety underpins the methodological framework which revealed misconceptions that predisposed transculturalism as Cultural Safety.
... Building on oral traditions, Talanoa enables people to 'story their issues' to provide 'real' and 'authentic' information. This requires policy and project development approaches to adopt a different means of "constructing knowledge" by enabling Pacific peoples to share their lived experiences 24 . Tonga practices Talanga, which is a more interactive and purposeful form of Talanoa. ...
... In PICs, traditional knowledge and values shape local understandings of 'sustainable livelihoods' 34 . Place-based knowledge, practices, and beliefs regarding the relationships between living beings and their environment are passed down through generations 24,35 . This is overlooked by international actors conducting program and project development, who use standard processes for gathering data, analysing it, and making an assessment 24 . ...
... Place-based knowledge, practices, and beliefs regarding the relationships between living beings and their environment are passed down through generations 24,35 . This is overlooked by international actors conducting program and project development, who use standard processes for gathering data, analysing it, and making an assessment 24 . In a Polynesian context, Vaioleti 24 remarks that Western actors: ...
Pacific Island Countries (PICs) advocate for greenhouse gas emissions reductions but face many barriers in transitioning from fossil fuels. Despite these obstacles, PICs aim to shift to renewable energy to meet ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Research suggests that this is limited by state and regulatory capacity, market structures, and access to finance. While these problems are salient, this article argues that discussions remain overly focused on technical solutions. We argue that socio-cultural factors also hinder the transition, including international actors conducting program and project development in the Pacific that insufficiently reflect local context. Drawing on recent decarbonisation policy and renewable energy project examples we argue that PICs are more likely to meet their NDC targets if the transition is fostered through cultural practices for deliberative decision making, such as Talanoa, Talanga, and community-based approaches. Such practices will deliver maximum benefits to communities and ensure a just and sustainable transition.
... The premise of the Talanoa is to speak freely without restriction. 4 The process centers on respect of all participants and allows for an equitable collaboration between all speakers. 5 To create a culturally safe space for participants to talk about topics such as the COVID-19 response, a Talanoa begins with introductions (formal or informal) of who and where each participant comes from and provides an equitable space to begin building the relationship. ...
... The rich information is then analyzed for common themes and strategies, then presented back to the participants for comment and clarification. 4 This process allows the community to fully engage in the research and guide the work being done. By utilizing this collaborative practice, the research elevates the participant's narrative and establishes trusting relationships that foster reciprocity and reconciliation. ...
... Pacific values formed the theoretical basis for the study, adhering to Pacific research principles to strengthen the validity of the findings, and ensure benefit for Pacific communities. 15 The Pacific concept of Talanoa, an oratory tradition recognised in many Pacific Island countries 16 guided the interviews. Talanoa is commonly used within Pacific academic research as a method and methodology to enable connected, respectful, open conversation and allow interaction to achieve research goals. ...
Introduction. Pacific peoples experience inequity in accessing hearing health care and are disproportionately exposed to the underlying determinants impacting ear and hearing health in Aotearoa New Zealand. Understanding community members' worldviews, including perspectives, beliefs and values, is essential in developing appropriate and responsive hearing healthcare services to meet the needs of Pacific peoples. Aim. The purpose of this paper is to understand the worldviews, knowledge and beliefs held by Pacific peoples regarding hearing health in Aotearoa New Zealand. Methods. A mixed-methods approach was used. Twelve semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with Pacific community members. Twenty-five participants completed an online questionnaire. A simultaneous, integrated mixed-methods approach was used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative data. Results. Five main themes were established, which were: The Meaning of Hearing; Causes of hearing loss; Consequences of hearing loss and Disability; and Improving health care for ear disease and hearing loss. Discussion. Pacific peoples value hearing health to communicate and connect with their families and communities. Participants highlighted the importance of hearing health across the life course. Although the study findings revealed there is potentially less stigma and shame around hearing loss in New Zealand, denial and fatalistic attitudes towards hearing loss may delay some people from seeking healthcare services. Participants expressed key ways in which the health system can be more responsive to the hearing health needs of Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Introduction Manatū Hauora (Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) Ministry of Health) recognises that respecting and listening to Pacific peoples’ knowledge and skills in caring for their communities’ wellbeing is a priority, and that novel approaches to care, particularly for chronic health conditions, are necessary. Allied health professionals have the potential to play important roles in primary care design and delivery. Pacific Trust Otago (PTO) provides a weekly seniors’ group gathering that has evolved over the years and incorporates exercise, health information and cultural activities. Aim This study aims to explore what Pacific seniors are learning about their health and wellbeing, and what factors contribute to sustained engagement with this weekly group activity. Methods The research team conducted a qualitative study using the Kakala Research Framework and the pan-Pacific Talanoa Research Methodology to gather narratives in a relational and comfortable group space. Participants were recruited from the seniors group gathering. Group Talanoa were used to collect data, which were digitally voice-recorded, transcribed, translated, and de-identified. Ethical approval was granted by the University of Otago School of Physiotherapy Ethics Committee. Results Pacific seniors valued how these gathering The seniors recognised how interconnected and intertwined culture, spirituality, and family were and how this contributed to their sense of individual and collective health and wellbeing. The study highlights the need to consider health beyond the individual to the collective, embracing indigenous perspectives, and authentically nurturing relationships with Pacific health providers. The study recommends primary care funders are supported to understand what is important to Pacific people and partner with Pacific health providers to deliver care in ways that align with indigenous models of care. Discussion A weekly group gathering for Pacific seniors run by Allied Health professionals provides a welcoming, safe, and culturally meaningful environment where seniors can connect, share, and grow in health and wellbeing together. This study highlights the importance of adopting informed and inclusive approaches to promoting and addressing holistic health for Pacific people, especially in light of ongoing health reforms in Aotearoa NZ.
Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available through Inter-Library Loan. Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available through Inter-Library Loan. This study addresses the complex issue of the 'achievement' of Tongan students in secondary schooling in Aotearoa New Zealand. It argues that the current model of 'Pacific Islands Education' underpinning attempts to assist Tongan students in fact fails to inform practices that could transform their experiences of underachievement in secondary schooling. Rather, I maintain, the popular notion of 'Pacific Islands Education' paradoxically serves to perpetuate the marginalisation of Tongan students and maintain the status quo. As a critique of 'Pacific Islands Education', the thesis draws upon Tongan knowledge of good pedagogical ideas. This ideas are drawn from a critical exploration of two Tongan community-based learning contexts enacted 'within' the formal secondary school system in Auckland, namely the Katoanga Faiva (the ASB Bank Maori and Pacific Island Secondary Schools Cultural Festival) and the Po Ako (Homework Centre project). I argue that malie and mafana, notions that are explored in the thesis as constitutive of good social relationships, are the key to good pedagogy and learning in both of these sites-the only place where substantial numbers of Tongan parents and young people actively and enthusiastically engage with the school. Malie and mafana offer a useful Tongan theoretical framework in which 'achievement' in the broader context of the school can be analysed and reconfigured. As well as recognising the real strengths of, and insights offered by, the two Tongan pedagogical sites, this thesis addresses dangers in both Tongan community and mainstream enthusiasm for these initiatives. I argue that an exclusive focus on skilled, malie-filled 'performance' separated from an analysis of the social, political, and economic positioning of Tongans within New Zealand, merely serves, ultimately, to reproduce the marginalization of Tongan (and other 'Pacific') people in the New Zealand schooling system.
I found Martin Orans's review ( Science 's Compass, 12 Mar., p. [1649][1]) of my book The Fateful Hoaxing of Margaret Mead: A Historical Analysis of Her Samoan Research (Westview, Boulder, CO, 1998) partisan in the extreme.
In her letter of 15 February 1926 to her supervisor, Franz Boas, Margaret
Presents some of the leading assumptions and methodological principles of qualitative approaches to research as a preface to conducting and using research on college student behavior and development. This is accomplished first by presenting and comparing important philosophical and methodological differences between the qualitative approaches. The differences between the 2 approaches are presented in terms of their ontological and epistemological assumptions, research goals, and methods of data collection and analysis. Ideas from phenomenology are used to argue that naturally occurring, organized occasions of social interaction are fruitful settings for the investigation of questions relevant to the behavior of college students. Two studies conducted in the qualitative mode, one using focused interview data and the other using ethnomethodological and conversational analytic methods, are summarized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This book by the assistant curator of ethnology in the American Museum of Natural History is based upon a nine months' study of adolescent and near-adolescent girls living in three villages on the west coast of Tāu in the Manu'a Archipelago. The chief problem which the author put herself was this: "Are the disturbances which vex our adolescents due to the nature of adolescence itself or to the civilization?" The Samoan adolescent girl is markedly free from conflicts as a result of many factors, among which the following may be listed: (1) the type of family organization, which enables the child to escape from over-strict discipline in any one group; (2) the free experimentation in sexual activities which is permitted; (3) the wide acquaintance with problems of life and death which the child gets in observing birth, miscarriage, intercourse, and Caesarian operations; (4) the disinclination to pry into motives; (5) the recognition of the essential impersonality of sex attraction; and (6) "the general educational concept which disapproves of precocity and coddles the slow, the laggard, the inept." The material of the book is organized under the following chief topics: the education of the Samoan child; the Samoan household; the girl and her age group; the girl in the community; formal sex relations; the rôle of the dance; the attitude towards personality; the experience and individuality of the average girl; the girl in conflict; maturity and old age; and educational implications. The appendix supplies certain technical details, particularly on the use of intelligence tests in the Samoan language. A foreword to the book has been written by Franz Boas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Collaborative research stories -Whakawhanaungatanga
- R Bishop
Bishop, R. (1996). Collaborative research stories -Whakawhanaungatanga.
Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.