Education for the Future - UNESCO Study: Case Study Fiji

Paper presented at Vaka Pasifiki Conference held at the Tonga Convention Center, Nuku'alofa, September 25 2014

An evaluation of a generic course at a university in the Pacific Islands

This study aims to evaluate a generic course at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in order to gather perceived strengths and gaps that may need addressing. A qualitative study, the evaluation was conducted via two methods. The first was through the interviews with four teaching staff of the course. The second involved an email feedback from six academics from different departments of the university. The findings of this study indicate that the course is generally perceived to be achieving its objectives, strong in promoting Pacific consciousness and has very clear and attainable learning outcomes and expectations. Moreover, the use of Pacific terms such as the vaka (canoe) and talanoa (conversation), were seen as strengths of the course. The course being delivered via a variety of mediums by an active, passionate and committed group of staff was viewed as a strength. In terms of areas that may need improvement, there were suggestions that the content and its scope, course description, and the marking rubrics could be re-examined. There was also a suggestion that there needs to be a pool of assignment tasks so that repetition semester after semester does not occur, and to reduce the level of plagiarism. In addition, there is a suggestion to have regular meetings among members of the teaching team, to listen to each other. These suggestions have implications for curriculum decisions regarding the course and its possible revision regarding content and focus, its delivery and assessment

Social capital is critical to perseverance at University during COVID-19: Pasifika students in Fiji, New Zealand and Solomon Islands universities

This study aims to investigate the social capital of a group of Pasifika university students in Fiji, New Zealand and Solomon Islands universities during COVID-19, and the contribution it may have on the perseverance of these participants in their studies. Social capital, which is interested in building relationships and networks to deal with collective issues in the present and future, provided the framework to analyse work done by Dorovolomo, Rodie, Fito’o and Rafiq on Solomon Islands students and on Laulaupea’alu’s study of Pasifika students in New Zealand. Tokstori was utilised to collect data from Solomon Islands students, while the talanoa was used in the New Zealand study. It was found that communication with fellow students often via digital communication, interaction with staff that are supportive, getting in touch with the family, and being able to follow protective practices as a consequence of COVID-19 helped in their success as students. Being able to tap the social resources within these social spaces helped build perseverance, resilience and strong social capital. This has implications for individuals, student communities, and institutions to consciously strengthen social networks among students during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic

‘Read like champions’: the use of sports role models to read story books for class three children at a Fiji school

This study utilized sports champions, those that have represented Fiji at the national level in various sports, to read aloud for a class three at a Suva primary school. Focus groups of five pupils and another of five champion readers were held. Feedback were also taken from the class teacher and head teacher. A qualitative study, a thematic analysis was employed and the study found that the read like champions project complemented existing reading programs in an innovative way that was highly anticipated by school children, provided inspiration and was thoroughly enjoyed. The rapport and cordial relationship among school leadership, the class teacher, librarian, sports champions, researchers and parents had also provided a conducive environment for reading and literacy activities, which enabled learning to occur. In addition, by integrating the reading activities with other subjects and events helped provide relevance and kept pupils interested. A novel idea not having implemented in the Fiji context before, the use of elite sportspersons to read aloud has the potential for stimulating improved reading and a love for reading among school children

Lessons from engaging sports role models and stakeholders in the promotion of literacy among school children in Suva, Fiji

This paper draws lessons from the Read like a Champion (RLAC) program implemented in Suva, Fiji, which engaged elite sporting individuals in literacy activities at schools. A qualitative case-oriented study was utilized, drawing on Esser and Vliegenthart’s (2017) practical steps in analyzing comparative data to consider lessons from RLAC in comparison with available literature on lessons from similar programs. The analysis is inductive in nature, and we arrived at four lessons that are presented as analogical representations. The first finding is that literacy development among school children needs creative and innovative ideas. The second is that these innovative ideas are delivered in context and become situated practice. The third lesson is that literacy development among children requires genuine partnerships with stakeholders in society, and, fourth, that literacy skills could be enhanced through involving role models

Postgraduate students’ suggestions on how their experiences could be improved

This study utilized the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to solicit consensus from seven thesis writing postgraduate students at a university in the Pacific Islands on ways they feel could enhance their experiences at the Faculty they belong. This study found that besides writing and pursuing their thesis, candidates suggest being part of collaborative research projects with academics. Another finding relates to having peer groups formed to provide an avenue for support and mentoring among thesis writing candidates. These have implications for promoting thesis candidates into staff student and student-student collaborative efforts and ultimately being socialized into a vibrant research culture, within the university, region and beyond

COVID-19 and online learning experiences of Solomon Islands students at the University of the South Pacific

This study aims to investigate the experiences of Solomon Islands students during the shift to online, remote teaching during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It utilises the tokstori to collect data from 16 Solomon Islands students of the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Suva and Honiara campuses. It is framed and analysed data using Khan’s eight dimensions of gauging successful e-learning experiences. Prior to COVID-19, many of the courses at the USP were offered in blended mode, which encompasses both online and face-to-face delivery. However, with a sudden move to fully online offerings, and the associated fears resulting from the unknowns of COVID-19, this was disruptive and traumatic for many students. However, analysis identified several key factors aiding student success including many Solomon Islands students being able to eventually cope with the disruption and displayed independence and resilience. It is also found that Solomon Island students got to experience new applications and tools such as, for example, having to be in Zoom or having to sit an online exam. This study has potential to inform higher education institutes (HEIs) in the Pacific Islands and beyond, and the need to carefully navigate the practical realities of the islands in the interaction between digital technologies, instructors and students to facilitate online learning post-pandemic