Talanoa - Scholarly Commons Home

Tongan children prefer the New Zealand majority culture and language (English) for
their principal usage and ignore the ancestral culture that they migrated with from
home (Aipolo & Holmes, 1990).
Stepping away from New Zealand based studies, Fonua (2004) focused on language
learning practices of adult/child interactions in home and school environments of
Class 1 children in Tonga. The study adopted a qualitative approach using
ethnographic methods of collecting data, making participant-observer notes,
audiotaping, videotaping and interviewing. Kata (2006) in her research utilised
observation by an audio-tape as a research method. Katoanga(2006); (Kautoke, Fatai,
& Vivili, 2006) used talanoa as an informal interview on a one on one basis in their
study. Another study carried out on Tongan students by Lutui and Langi (2006) using
questionnaire as the method of collecting data. Questionnaire was followed by a
semi-structured interview were utilised in these researches (Heimuli, 2006; Kilioni &
Kupu, 2006; Veikune, 2006). Faletau (2006) employed survey followed by focus
groups as methodology. Whereas, Tolu and Fa’anunu (2006) seem to doubt the
methodology of talanoa that it would not gather authentic and trustworthy data and
therefore, used other methodologies like observations, questionnaire and document
analysis in their study. According to Maka et al., (2006), most of the approaches
adobted by teachers are not cultural ways of transmitting knowledge and can be seen
as processes of expediency rather than the best approach to teaching skills and
knowledge. Therefore, talanoa is the cultural ways of acquiring information and ideas
from people we come to contact with.
Manu’atu (2000) focused her study on the secondary school children however, pō
talanoa was used as her research method. Manu’atu argued that talanoa has a
purpose, significance, a consequence or an output. It is a contextualised and
purposeful activity. Talanoa is defined as a construction, reconstruction and a
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