Keywords
Hawaiians, Personal Narratives, STEM Education, Disproportionate Representation, Identification, Professional Identity, Cultural Influences, Social Influences, Political Influences
Author(s)
Allaire, Franklin S.
Date
2018
Abstract
Despite achievements in areas such as celestial navigation and both landbased and marine-based agriculture, very few Native Hawaiians pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This ethnographic qualitative study explores the experiences of ten Native Hawaiian members of Hawai’i’s STEM community to gain a better understanding of life at the intersection of seemingly disparate cultural and professional identities. This study draws upon Indigenous research methodologies interwoven with narrative and case study frameworks. Participants who self-identified as Native Hawaiian and were members of Hawai’i’s STEM community, as either a student or a professional, were purposefully selected to gain a broad representation of both the science and Native Hawaiian communities. In-depth interviews generated data, and themes emerged through several levels of coding and cross-case analysis. Emerging themes included: influences and challenges to the construction and maintenance of participants’ identities; personal and cultural connections between participants’ and their respective STEM fields; individual and collective challenges participants faced as Native Hawaiians engaged in STEM fields; and participants’ experiences related to being the first in their families to attend college. These findings are substantial in that they offer an understanding of a distinct minority that is underrepresented in the sciences.