Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the experiences of 10 Native Hawaiian members of Hawai‘i’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community to understand how they navigate their cultural and professional identities. This article explores one of the major themes—being first-generation college students—and the narrators’ inspirations, influences, and challenges as first-generation college students in STEM-related degree programs. Within this context, the participants explore the impact of support networks, going beyond the educational level of their parents, as well as feelings of inferiority, tokenism, and marginalization as one of the few Native Hawaiian students in STEM degree programs. These findings are substantial in that they offer understanding related to a distinct racial/ethnic minority that is underrepresented in higher education and the sciences.

Keywords

STEM indigenous Native Hawaiian college first generation minority science

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allaire, F. S. (2007). Science education and Native Hawaiian peoples: A study of the dis/connection between science teaching and being Native Hawaiian (Master's of Education), Manoa, Hawaii: University of Hawaii.

Balutski

B. J. N.

Wright

E. K.

(2013) Native Hawaiian student profile 2012, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Brotman

J. S.

Moore

F. M.

(2008) Girls and science: A review of four themes in the science education literature. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 45(9): 971–1002.

Bryant

Charmaz

(2010) The SAGE handbook of grounded theory, Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) CDC health disparities and inequalities report—United States, 2013, Washington, DC: Author.

Charmaz

(2011) Constructing grounded theory, Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Chinn, P. W. U. (1995). Becoming a scientist: Narratives of women entering science and engineering (EdD thesis). University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Cole

Espinoza

(2008) Examing the academic success of Latino students in science technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors. Journal of College Student Development 49(4): 285–300.

Cook

W. K.

Chung

Tseng

(2011) Demographic and socioeconomic profiles of Asian Americans, native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States, San Fransisco, CA: Asian & Pacific Islander Health Forum.

10.

Creswell

(2007) Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

11.

Dennis

J. M.

Phinney

J. S.

Chuateco

L. I.

(2005) The role of motivation, parental support, and peer support in academic success of ethnic minority first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development 46(3): 223–236.

12.

Denzin

N. K.

Lincoln

Y. S.

Smith

L. T.

(2008) Handbook of critical and indigenous methodologies, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

13.

Department of Community Services (2014) Statewide homeless point-in-time count: 2014 methodology and results, Honolulu, HI: Author.

14.

Evans-Campbell

(2008) Historical trauma in American Indian/Native Alaska communities: A multilevel framework for exploring impacts on individuals, families, and communities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 23(3): 316–338.

15.

Gándara

(2006) Strengthening the academic pipeline leading to careers in math, science, and technology for Latino students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 5(3): 222–237.

16.

Hawaii State Department of Education. (2017). Strive HI state accountability report. Retrieved from http://arch.k12.hi.us/school/strivehi/strivehi.html.

17.

Holton

J. A.

(2010) The coding process and its challenges. In: Bryant

Charmaz

(eds) The SAGE handbook of grounded theory, Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications Ltd.

18.

Hostetter

C. J.

(2014) Income inequality and native Hawaiian communities in the wake of the great recession: 2005–2013, Honolulu, HI: Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

19.

Hurtado

Caberra

N. L.

Lin

M. H.

Arellano

Espinosa

L. L.

(2009) Diversifying science: Underrepresented student experiences in structured research programs. Research in Higher Education 50: 189–214.

20.

Hurtado

Eagan

M. K.

Tran

M. C.

Newman

C. B.

Chang

M. J.

Velasco

(2011) “We Do Science Here”: Underrepresented Students' Interactions with Faculty in Different College Contexts. Journal of Social Issues 67(3): 553–579.

21.

Johnson

A. C.

(2007) Unitended consequences: How science professors discourage women of color. Science Education 91(5): 805–821.

22.

Kana‘iaupuni

S. M.

Malone

Ishibashi

(2005a) Income and poverty among native Hawaiians, Honolulu, HI: Kamehameha Schools–PACE.

23.

Kana‘iaupuni, S. M., Malone, N., & Ishibashi, K. (2005b). Kā huaka‘i: 2005 native Hawaiian education assessment. Retrieved from Honolulu, HI: Kamehameha Schools.

24.

Laenui

(2000) Processes of decolonization. In: Battiste

(ed.) Reclaiming indigenous voice and vision, Canada: UBC Press, pp. 150–160.

25.

Lincoln

Y. S.

Guba

E. G.

(1990) Naturalistic inquiry, Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

26.

McCarron

G. P.

Inkelas

K. K.

(2006) The gap between educational aspirations and attainment for first-generation college students and the role of parental involvement. Journal of College Student Development 47(5): 534–549.

27.

Merriam

S. B.

(2001) Qualitative research methods and case study applications in education, San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

28.

Myers

M. D.

Newman

(2007) The qualitative interview in IS research: Examining the craft. Information and organization 17(1): 2–26.

29.

National Science Foundation (2013) Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2013, Washington, DC: AuthorRetrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/.

30.

National Science Foundation (2017) Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2017, Arlington, VA: Author.

31.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs. (2011a). Native Hawaiian health fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.oha.org/health/downloads/2011NativeHawaiianHealthFactSheet.pdf.

32.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs (2011b) Native Hawaiian health fact sheet 2011, Honolulu, HI: Author.

33.

Oral History Association. (2000). Principles and best practices. Retrieved from http://www.oralhistory.org/do-oral-history/principles-and-practices/.

34.

Phinney

J. S.

Dennis

J. M.

Osorio

(2006) Reasons to attend college among ethnically diverse college students. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 12(2): 347–366.

35.

Russell

M. L.

Atwater

M. M.

(2005) Traveling the road to success: A discourse on persistence throughout the science pipeline with African American students at a predominantly white institution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 42(6): 691–715.

36.

Salzman

M. B.

Halloran

M. J.

(2004) Cultural trauma and recovery: Cultural meaning, self-esteem and the reconstruction of the cultural anxiety buffer. In: Greenberg

Sander

K. L.

Pyszczynski

(eds) Handbook of experimental existential psychology, New York, NY: The Guilford Press, pp. 231–246.

37.

Seidman

(2006) Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Teachers College Press, Columbia University.

38.

Solomon

Greenberg

Pyszczynski

(1991) A terror managmenet theory of social behavior: The psychological function of self-esteem and cultural worldviews. In: Zanna

M. P.

(ed.) Advances in experimental social psychology Vol. 24, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, pp. 91–159.

39.

State of Hawaii Department of Education (2006–2007) Native Hawaiian performance characteristics in public schools, Hawaii: Author.

40.

Stewart

D. L.

(2008) Being all of me: Black students negotiating multiple identities. The Journal of Higher Education 79(2): 183–207.

41.

Taum

R. R. M.

(2010) Tourism. In: Howes

Osorio

J. K.

(eds) The value of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai‘i Press.

42.

Tavares

H. M.

(2008) When the familiar is strange: Encountering the cultural politics of Hawaii in the college classroom. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 29(3): 377–385.

43.

Thompson

Bolin

(2011) Indicators of success in STEM majors: A cohort study. Journal of College Admission, Summer 2011: 18–24.

44.

Tuākana. (2013). Tuākana. Retrieved from https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/eo-equity-office/eo-tuakana.html.

45.

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. (2017). Institutional Research & Analysis Office. Retrieved from https://www.hawaii.edu/institutionalresearch/home.action.

46.

Watkins-Victorino

L. M.

(2016) Native Hawaiian education: 2016 status of native Hawaiian students and summary of systemic strategies for ensuring greater educational success, Honolulu, HI: Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

47.

Wei

T. Y.

Liao

K. Y. H.

(2011) Minority stress and college persistence attitudes among African American, Asian American, and Latino students: perception of university environment as a mediator. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 17(2): 195.

48.

Whiting

L. S.

(2008) Semi-structured interviews: guidance for novice researchers. Nursing Standard 22(23): 35–40.

49.

Wilson

W. A.

Bird

M. Y.

(2005) For indigenous eyes only: A decolonization handbook, Santa Fe, New Mexico: School of American Research Press.

50.

Yin

R. K.

(2009) Case study research design and method, 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

51.

Zalaquett

C. P.

(1999) Do students of noncollege-educated parents achieve less academically than students of college-educated parents? Psychological Reports 85: 417–421.

Navigating Uncharted Waters: First-Generation Native Hawaiian College Students in STEM

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References