“But each of us as researchers occupies multiple positions that intersect and may bring us into conflicting allegiances or alliances within our research sites. We may occupy positions where we are included as insiders while simultaneously, in some dimensions, we identify as outsiders.” (Herr and Anderson, 55)
After discussing my research interests with Dr. White and Dr. Hattori I am confident that I have chosen a dissertation topic that is much more focused, bite-size, relevant, and potentially impactful on the Micronesian diaspora’s quest for self-empowerment and success in Hawai’i. The topic intersects very well with my personal and professional life as a Micronesian parent specifically from the small and remote islands in Chuuk and an educational consultant for Micronesian-serving organizations in the US.
After starting with the larger topic of indigenous Micronesian leadership values, I have settled on looking at one particular community in Hawaii known as Remathau (people of the ocean). This is a group of Micronesians from the remote outer islands of Yap, FSM who different but similar in many ways to me as coming from the outer islands of Chuuk, FSM. They seemed to be successfully navigating life in Hawaii and the US; local teachers have indicated to me that these students seem very respectful, hardworking, and culturally adaptable while maintaining their own identity.
So, I am setting out on a quest to tell the “Micronesian experience” from a place of success rather than the normal place of deficit. I want do some kind of participatory case study on the Remathau community to learn what is working for them? What indigenous values are they teaching to their children to succeed in the American setting particularly in Hawaii? What kind of partnerships have they brokered with local school administrators who have contributed computers to their after-school learning program? What do the parents consider as a successful Remathau child in Hawaii? How do they form their children in these values of success.
I am a proponent of participatory action research. But I’m not quite sure how I would frame my methodology to enable me to do this case study within the action research traditions. Am I an educator / insider / practitioner who will research factors that enable the Remathau community to succeed in Hawaii while maintaining their indigenous values? Is it possible for me to do an action research on a case study of the Remathau community without an “educational” component to it? And what theoretical framework will I use for such a study? Obviously, I have much to research and discuss with my faculty advisor(s) about this.
