Policies and practices of Chamorro cultural narratives in the community and schools of Guam

Abstract

In this study, I use aspects of ethnography to explore the role of cultural narratives in the educational experiences and daily life of the Chamorro people. The major method of collecting the data used in this study included official documents, interviews, and written surveys. These different sets of data collection allowed me to cross-check the data to triangulate the evidence and to refine and validate the study. The Chamorro culture and language still exist. However, the majority of homes are practicing an Americanized lifestyle because of the influences from the United States since their invasion in the 1800s. There has been a shift from the teaching of the history, culture, language, values, and stories of the Chamorro people from the home to the school. Data show that informants agree that teachers across all disciplines should implement cultural narratives into their teaching. The University of Guam and the Guam Community College need to add courses specializing in the Chamorro culture and make this part of the requirements for earned degrees in Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education. Participants agree that cultural narratives support Chamorro values and should be visible in all public and private schools from kindergarten through higher education. The main conclusions include (1) Guam does not have a set written policy for Chamorro cultural narratives although it is an accepted and recognized part of the Chamorro curriculum, (2) the Chamorro cultural narratives should be emphasized more and expanded across the standard curriculum for all grade levels, K-12, (3) the community, the family and the school must work more collaboratively and find more innovative ways to maintain the language and culture of the Chamorro people, and (4) Chamorro narratives should be implemented in both public and private schools.