Education and belonging amongst Samoan Australians

This book has charged us to consider that ‘the need to belong is arguably one of humankind’s deepest needs’ (Bagnall, 2010). This chapter has explored the relationship between education, connection and belonging for Australian Samoan students. The wellspring of identity and belonging for Australian Samoans are the three pillars of family ‘aiga’; church ‘ekelesia’ and culture ‘aganu’u.’ Despite migration to Australia and the development of an Australian cultural identity, Australian Samoans still closely follow a belonging that affords the extended family primacy in motivation and behaviour. Attending school in Australia often involves conflict between different cultural understandings and paths. However, the strength of Australian Samoan belonging depends on the maintenance of shared Samoan values, no matter where Samoans live. At school, conflicted codes of behaviour often reflect different intrinsic and extrinsic motivational forces that shape Australian Samoan behaviour. This chapter has applied a self-determination theory approach to the motivational forces important to Samoans. The chapter has shown that teachers who understand more about Samoan and Pasifika culture can help students internalise and transform intrinsic motivation for Australian Samoan students at school. It has also demonstrated that students respond positively to school extrinsic motivation if messages from school can be presented and explained in ways that connect and relate to Samoan culture. This connection assists students to bridge the gap between Australian and Samoan culture and belong to both.