A study of transition and self-identity for Samoan secondary school students

The image of Samoa that resonates throughout history is one of tradition set amidst the backdrop of white sandy beaches, clear blue waters, and lush tropical vegetation. A Pacific paradise steeped in culture and defined by relationships, which provide the people with a sense of connection and belonging to family, village, and country. Va tapuia has often been described as the basis of relationships and the foundation of a sense of belonging and ordered traditional way of life. However, like other small island developing states Samoa and its people are faced with new challenges and is having to negotiate a number of forces that are changing how young people in particular, view themselves and relate to society. This research was designed to give ‘voice’ to students whose understandings of their own self-identity and struggles to cope with their journey into the adult world of work, paid or unpaid, and which could inform the development of future education and labour policies and practices. Using a participatory methodology adapted from photo voice, twenty-three Year 12 secondary school students (16 female and 7 male) from three schools (public, private, and mission), representing both urban and rural areas in Upolu, Samoa participated. These students were asked to explore themes of self-identity, transition from school to work, and livelihood aspirations using photography. In follow-up semi-structured interviews the students explained the meaning of their photos, their thinking about their own sense of self, their thoughts about the future, educationally and occupationally and about globalisation. Using a constructivist methodology this research seeks to provide an understanding of the factors which contribute to the development of self-identity by secondary school students in Samoa. In the context of a rapidly changing society this research examines young peoples’ perceptions of transition from school to work and how this is perceived to affect their sense of self. This thesis attempts to understand this journey by firstly exploring how young people engage with social supports such as family, peers, and teachers, and secondly, how they interpret and interact with structural relationships such as fa’aSamoa, spirituality, and forces of globalisation. Using a deconstructivist analytical approach this research illustrates how young people negotiate a series of centripetal and centrifugal forces that are central to the formation of a strong sense of self and sense of direction in life. At a local level this research raises awareness of a structural anxiety for young people that is evidenced by dual narratives, in which young people attempt to reconcile individual and collective pressures as well as notions of tradition and modernity. On a broader scale this research challenges the normative understandings of how young people relate to society and discusses ways in which they can be better understood, appreciated, and supported to achieve their goals. This research shows that young people in Samoa are experiencing transition within a country that is experiencing transition. As Samoa modernises so to do the young people who attempt to incorporate and reconcile conceptions of ‘modernity’ into their own geographies. The timing of the findings is significant in that education and labour market statistics posit an unsustainable future for many Samoan youth. Samoa is one of many Pacific Island countries that are experiencing low levels of employment that is correlating with increases in poverty, social instability and crime (Ministry of Youth, Sports and Cultural Affairs, 1997; Lowe, 2003; Commonwealth of Australia, 2006; Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, 2007). Samoa, with its youthful population, is approaching a tipping point where a current poverty of opportunity is at risk of escalating to a crisis of opportunity. How the young people of Samoa define themselves and respond to these transitions and evolving changes is important on several levels for a population and culture that in many respects demands a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable society.