For academics embarking on research with Pacific people for the benefit of Pacific communities or issues, what is paramount is the need for Pacific methodologies to be adopted as well as adapted, to improve communication and rapport with prospective participants. When one thinks of research of a Pacific nature, it is not until existing Pacific methodologies are known that one ponders on the type of methodology best suits one's research practice. Since Smith's research on the importance for the decolonization process to be more at the fore regarding research undertaken about, for, and with indigenous groups, there has been a growing shift away from Eurocentric frameworks. Movement away enables improved understanding and communication with Pacific people and issues; it also confirms the appropriateness of Pacific methodologies to enhance research in general. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has similar elements found in Pacific methodologies; positive outcomes between both researcher and stakeholders are key during planning and implementation stages. By working alongside community partners, researchers work toward implementing research data collection and collation methods with the assistance of indigenous (in this case, Pacific experts and leaders of Pacific communities) to benefit and "advance social change and social justice (Holkup et al., 2004; Minkler, 2004; Petrucka et al., 2012; Walters et al., 2009)." It may be time consuming at research commencement stage, but worthwhile pursuing to ensure all stakeholders involved in the research are aware of expectations and benefit from the outcomes of research pursued.

Traditionally, education environments are Eurocentric. They have reinforced "pedagogy of the oppressed" where Western knowledge is reflected in the university curriculum and ways of learning and teaching. Factors influencing success in learning remain an area of strong interest particularly in regard to non-traditional students in learning and teaching settings. This study explores the strategies undertaken by first, second, and third generation Pacific/Pasifika students to overcome challenges whilst studying and utilizing services provided by staff in the Pasifika Learning Village at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. The study adopted a mixed method approach that was adapted by integrating a Pasifika method of talanoa to understand their experiences so that their voices and stories on how they made it through a tertiary environment are heard and valued. Through Pacific/Pasifika lens, a cultural analysis of Pacific/Pasifika students' knowledge, values, and beliefs highlighted that supplementary cultural spaces, Pacific/Pasifika staff support, and valuing and acknowledging the social space relationships are imperative factors empowering them to succeed in a New Zealand tertiary setting. This paper argues that cultural pedagogies integrated into mainstream revealed successes that warrant recognition as they have demonstrated that traditional models within contemporary settings empower and enhance Pacific/Pasifika students' success.

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This research examines Samoan student experiences in two Homework Study Groups (HSGs) in Melbourne using a researcher-practitioner approach. It highlights that school teachers need to acknowledge students' preferred learning methods, especially those of minority backgrounds like the Samoan participants in this investigation. A detailed exploration of the experiences of students in two HSGs finds that while students and their families place a high priority on learning, their cultural practices are not compatible with standard Western learning approaches. The HSGs provided a social space in which students could ask the teacher questions without fear of appearing foolish, in which they could apply themselves to study. It provided a physical study space away from the demands some Samoan families place on their young people, and it provided a cultural space in which the students could learn according to fa'aSamoa (traditional values and beliefs). This research makes a contribution to an understanding of the motivations of Melbourne-based Samoan students to learn, of what concerns them, and of impediments to their educational success. It also offers insight into the benefits that set up a specific space for students' offers, when its specific intent is influencing the merging of Samoan and Western ideas to further learning.