Most of the project has been drawing parallels between different cultures of the Pacific. This page discusses the differences.

Geography

Map of the Pacific

Polynesia

• Tonga
• Samoa
• Tuvalu
• Hawaii
• the Marquesas, Society and Cook Islands
• New Zealand

Micronesia

• Caroline Islands
• Kiribati
• Marshall Islands

Melanesia

• Papua New Guinea
• Solomon Islands
• Vanuatu
• New Caledonia
• Fiji

Eileen Tui

Notes from a conversation with Eileen Tui, on 25 July, 2003, as part of NmInTheSouthPacific

Be careful of platitudes

• Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia have as many if not more differences as similarities in learning culture
• Different colonial systems: NZ, OZ, UK...
• Different age groups
• Different approaches to learning within groups
  • strategic learners (studying for the test, not for the knowledge)
• Many writing the research are themselves disconnected from the Pacific through insitutional learning
• the Pacific itself is changing (eminem culture), although much research from 40 years ago and today would have you think otherwise

Talk to the students!!!

Bisun Deo

from a talk July 29, 2003. For more of his thoughts, see NmHindu

Asking Q's of Authority Figures

• Samoa, Cook, Solomons, Vanuatu are "very vocal, very vocal, very vocal. They share ideas, come talk to lecturers alot."
• In-service students are also vocal across cultures (also see Authorities within peer groups in NmHindu)
  • older students, in-service students can often intimidate other students because they are seen as being more experienced, and serve as a proxy authority figure in front of which they do not want to be shamed
• Kind of school affects this alot
• Language is also a major barrier (shame, fear, "people will laugh at me")