Facilitating culturally affirming research experiences for undergraduate Pacific Islander students

Abstract This study addresses issues related to the underrepresentation and lack of persistence of Pacific Islanders in STEM fields by using, as a case study, the experience of 12 undergraduate researchers, each of Pacific Islander descent and upbringing, who navigated their own engaged participation as apprentices in a STEM education research project. The student researchers, --following a traditional model of learning in the Pacific where youth apprentice themselves to their elders in a specialized field of knowledge--participated as members of a research team for the period of at least one full year and were involved in the development, implementation, and analysis of culturally responsive research protocols. Throughout the process, the apprentices produced personal narrative reflections on their own cultural identities and understandings and relayed their experience as apprentice researchers in the research project. The results indicate that as a result of their engagement in this apprenticeship model for undergraduate research experiences (URE), the student apprentices gained a deeper awareness of respect as a core value in engaging in culturally responsive research. It also caused them to reflect on the importance of their own ancestral roots, life experiences and cultural identities, including a deeper appreciation for how science is practiced in their home communities. Lastly, this apprenticeship URE model draws from traditional ways of learning in many Pacific Islander cultures and as a result, resonated with them culturally in that it reflected a particular way of learning they were familiar with. We argue that such insights can be used to better inform education programs and employers about the unique factors that influence Pacific Islanders and other Indigenous peoples so that they can provide opportunities that are seen as relevant and meaningful.