Transitioning to higher education: journeying with Indigenous Maori teen mothers

ABSTRACT

Young women giving birth to children or teen mothers are often on the fringes of society. To facilitate the journeys of these young women towards higher education, a number of organisations have been established. Taking Indigenous knowledge as our theoretical lens, our qualitative data were based on interviews with Indigenous Māori teen mothers and teen parent organisations. Our empirical study investigated organisational practices which support teen mothers in their quest for higher education. We make a dual contribution, firstly by extending and enriching scholarship on teen mothers, specifically Indigenous teen mothers, to facilitate understandings of their journey; and secondly we develop a model representing the challenges and successes of their journey and present organisational practices to enhance transitioning to higher education. We suggest that the integration of Indigenous knowledge opens up new avenues for a more sophisticated understanding of organisational practices intertwined with the journeys of teen mothers.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous knowledge
• teen mothers
• organisational practices
• higher education
• Maori

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the editors, anonymous reviewers and Helen Rowlands for their facilitation and insightful suggestions; and to Professor Pare Keiha, Professor Paul Moon and our children who ground us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Edwina Pio (PhD, BEd, MNZAC) is New Zealand’s first Professor of Diversity, a Fulbright alumnus and recipient of a Duke of Edinburgh Fellowship. She is an integral part of the Auckland University of Technology, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and has been Visiting Professor at Boston College USA and Visiting Academic at Cambridge University, UK. Embodying her passion for interdisciplinary scholarship, her research interests and publications encompass the intersections of work, ethnicity, indigenous studies, religion and pedagogy. She is a thought leader and knowledgeable interpreter in the diversity domain and is widely published. She is Research Leader of the Immigration and Inclusion Group and Co-director of the Global Centre for Equality and Human Rights.

Maxine Graham is passionate about giving voice to indigenous youth. She is of New Zealand Māori descent and a mother to two children. She works at the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand/Aotearoa as a Project Leader Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Māori Advancement.