Matangia ‘i Namo : science teachers’ and students’ conceptualisations of local environmental and climate change issues : talanoa from Ha‘apai and Port Vila

Pacific communities in both rural and urban settings are experiencing the impacts of the global climate crisis, as well as non-climatic factors, on their local ecosystems. Developing adaptation strategies to respond to these threats of disasters requires knowledge of local ecosystems and community needs. The findings of this thesis indicate that one way of deepening our understanding of climate and environment is the use of Indigenous knowledge systems passed on through familial and village settings. This thesis also suggests that the current science education in formal schooling marginalises Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous languages in Ha‘apai (Tonga) and Port Vila (Vanuatu). There is indeed a need to align the science education in Pacific schools with the values, knowledge, cultures and languages of local communities, acknowledging their connectedness to place and the science learning opportunities this presents. Through a series of talanoa in Ha‘apai (Tonga) and Port Vila (Vanuatu), this research explores how Year 10 students and teachers in these contexts conceptualise local environmental issues in the context of their experiences, cultural knowledge and sense of connectedness to place. This research calls for collaboration and dialogue between schools and communities about how Indigenous knowledge of environmental and climatic issues can be meaningfully incorporated into the current western curriculum