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E hana mua a paʻa ke kahua mamua o ke aʻo ana aku ia haʻi.
Build yourself a firm foundation before teaching others.
– ʻŌlelo noʻeau #276
Research is a methodical investigation for information with the goal of producing and disseminating knowledge.
Throughout history, research has been used as a weapon to discredit Indigenous wisdom, conquer Native nations, and seize ancestral homelands. While colonial approaches to research remain the dominant practice in the U.S. academy, critical and Indigenous methods push back and speak back to intellectual hegemony stemming from research. To learn more about the violent history of research, see Delgado Bernal & Villalpando, 2002; Tuck and Yang, 2014; Tuhiwai Smith, 1999.
Today, I conduct research in education to examine relationships between schooling and society, curriculum and pedagogy, and philosophies of teaching and learning. I also engage in research to affirm the intellectual foundation of Indigenous stories and histories; pedagogies of families, communities, and homes; and culture-based education.
This page contains my researcher positionality, scholarly approach, and research agenda as well as links to projects, publications, and presentations.
Positionality
Positionality
Positionality statements explain how one's identities and worldviews influence the research process. Sometimes referred to as "reflexivity," this is a continuous practice in self-reflection to identify personal biases and assumptions in the creation, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of research.
I come to my work as a wahine ʻŌiwi, a first-generation college graduate, an emerging critical race theoretical scholar, and a political advocate for Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous rights. These identities along with my schooling background and my socialization intersect and continue to influence my belief in Indigenous stories and histories as legitimate wisdom and my prioritization of Indigenous goals and education practices in my research.
Scholarly Approach
Scholarly Approach
A scholarly approach is another exercise in self-reflection to name the guiding paradigms, values, and practices that shape how and why scholars engage in research.
Two important thrulines in my research are critical race theory in education/Kanaka ʻŌiwi critical race theory (KanakaʻŌiwiCrit) and Native Hawaiian methodologies. These frameworks form the bedrock of how I conduct research on Native Hawaiians. Consequently, I value collaboration with Indigenous communities in each project I undertake, so I foreground Kanaka ʻŌiwi voices in my scholarship. I treat Indigenous participation in my studies as a gift, and I value transparency and trust when working with students, educators, and community members.
A visual diagram of how Native Hawaiian critical race theory currently guides my research in education (2023)
Research Agenda
Research Agenda
Research agendas refer to the topics, themes, or lines of inquiry examined through research. It is often a long-term vision of a scholar's goals and commitments.
Given my background as a graduate of a Native Hawaiian K–12 culture-based education (CBE) school, I am interested in learning about student experiences with racial identity formation, youth resistance and student activism, and school-family-community relations. My work also broadly investigates the historical and contemporary consequences of settler colonialism and U.S. hegemony.
Publications
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Kawano, K. (21 May 2024). Revelations about the Seeds we Planted: Huikau, Kūʻē, and the Lāhui. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. OnlineFirst, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/11771801241250063
Kawano, K. (9 Nov 2023). Toward a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Racial Identity Model for a Contemporary Multiracial World. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education. OnlineFirst, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2023.2278193
Kawano, K. (2023). Engaging a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Literature Review Methodology through Research on Native Hawaiian Culture-Based Education. Review of Educational Research, 93(6), 862–900. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221149004
Kawano, K. (accepted). Enacting Kūʻē through Makawalu Discourse: A KanakaʻŌiwiCrit Study of Native Hawaiian Students. Education for Information: Interdisciplinary Journal of Information Studies.
Kawano, K. (accept with minor revisions). Learning how to “Tease da Otha’ Race:” Ethnic-Racial Socialization through Multicultural Literature. Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal.
Book Chapters
Kawano, K. (under review). A Dialogue on the Oppression of ʻĀina and Kānaka. Global HeartMinds: Epistolary Encounters with Paulo Freire.
Editorials/Op-Eds
Kawano, K. (1 March 2021). Reflections on the Insurrection of January 6 [Op-Ed]. Ka Wai Ola. https://kawaiola.news/hai-manao-opinion/reflections-
on-the-insurrection-of-january-6/
Kawano, K. (5 Jan 2021). School of Education must Involve all Students in Training on Race and Racism [Op-Ed]. The Daily Bruin. https://dailybruin.com/2021/01/05/op-ed-school-of-education-must-involve-all-students-in-training-on-race-and-racism
Kawano, K. (9 June 2018). Embracing Identity [Editorial]. The Dartmouth. https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2018/06/embracing-identity
Newspaper Articles
Kawano, K. (14 May 2015). Athletics and Socioeconomic Status: NCAA and Ivy League Rule Complicate Recruitment. The Dartmouth. https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2015/05/athletics-and-socioeconomic-status-ncaa-and-ivy-league-rules-complicate-recruitment
Presentations
Presentations
Conference Presentations
Kawano, K. (2023). Enacting Kūʻē through Moʻolelo and Makawalu Discourse: A KanakaʻŌiwiCrit Study of Native Hawaiian Youth [Paper presentation]. Critical Race Studies in Education Association, Chicago, IL.
Kawano, K. (2023). Learning how to “Tease da Otha’ Race:” Ethnic-Racial Socialization through Multicultural Literature and Media Circulation in Hawai‘i [Paper presentation]. Critical Race Studies in Education Association, Chicago, IL.
Kawano, K. (2021). Situating the Place of Kanaka ʻŌiwi Feminist Epistemology through Critical Literature [Paper presentation]. American Educational Studies Association, Portland, OR.
Kawano, K. (2021). Using Kanaka ʻŌiwi Critical Race Theory to Unpack Racism in Multicultural Children’s Songs [Poster presentation]. Conference on Academic Research in Education, Las Vegas, NV.
Harvey, K., Kawano, K., Anderson, A. Ensing, R. & Tom, M. (2019). Indigenous Student Voices on College Planning [Conference plenary]. Native American Student Advocacy Institute, Tulsa, OK.
Harvey, K., Kawano, K., Tom, M., & Sekaquaptewa, M. (2018). Native Internships for Career Readiness [Roundtable presentation]. Native American Student Advocacy Institute, Honolulu, HI.
Academic Program Presentations
Kawano, K. (2021). Engaging a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Literature Review Methodology through Research on Native Hawaiian Culture-Based Education [Master's capstone presentation]. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
Kawano, K. (2018). Creating Worlds and Shaping Hawaiian Identity in Early and Contemporary Makahiki Rituals [Undergraduate thesis presentation]. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH.
Current Projects & Resources
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