WIPCE 2017 Spotlight: Intergenerational Success of Indigenous Pre-School Graduates and Language Transmission
Hoana McMillan is an education lecturer involved in initial teacher education at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua, New Zealand. Hoana has taught in Māori language medium settings across the education sector including kōhanga reo. She is also a PhD student at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand where she conducts field research on Māori education framed by Kaupapa Māori.
Hoana will be presenting her successful abstract submission titled, “Intergenerational Success and kōhanga reo” this summer at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) 2017.
“This workshop is based on a doctoral research project and presents the pūrākau (a Māori narrative approach) of one of the five families who were interviewed as part of the doctoral research. The pūrākau spans three generations and tells of the experience of the family (both parents and children), their aspirations and perspectives of educational success, and the role of the kōhanga reo. Both generations of children in this pūrākau attended Te Kōhanga reo ki Rotokawa, Rotorua, New Zealand. Kōhanga reo emerged in New Zealand to help turn around the near loss of the Māori language arising out of colonially-imposed English only schooling. Some graduates of the first kōhanga reo have now returned with their own children. However, there has been little documentation tracking the educational success of these families across multiple generations. Understanding the aspirations of kōhanga reo parents for their children is important to this discussion.”
~ Hoana McMillan
The WIPCE 2017 conference theme is a “Celebration of Resilience.” Stevie Jonathan, the WIPCE 2017 Administrative Assistant, was honoured with the opportunity to ask Hoana how language use is related to resiliency. Hoana responded, “The literature reviewed suggests that Māori parent’s aspirations for their children has undergone change over time and continues to be influenced by various social, political and cultural factors leading to diverse aspirations and interpretations as to what constitutes educational success. The literature also highlights that te reo and tikanga Māori along with whānau involvement in their child’s learning are influential in providing Māori children with the best opportunity to experience educational success as Māori.” The interconnectedness of Indigenous cultures’ language, family, and environment is heavily correlated with resiliency of all ages.
One of many topics to be discussed at WIPCE is Indigenous education and the revitalization of Indigenous languages. Hoana’s presentation like many at WIPCE is an indispensable repository of knowledge at the international level. Globally, research on language transmission is valued and of high importance to those working towards keeping their ancestral languages alive, however this research is limited.
WIPCE overall is an outlet where rare research that is done by Indigenous scholars on Indigenous issues can be shared with all scholars at the international level. Indigenous people coming together globally to further initiatives that support Indigenous worldviews is truly something special to celebrate.
Hoana is looking forward to celebrating with WIPCE as it is her first time attending this triennial conference. Her trip to Canada will be something dear to her heart; it will strengthen her connection to the land and heritage of her daughter’s father.
WIPCE 2017 will be held in Toronto, Ontario this summer. It is “A Celebration of Resilience” and an extraordinary opportunity to learn from Indigenous scholars from around the globe. Watch our blog for future spotlights on the amazing presentations that will take place at WIPCE 2017!
