IAFOR > The IAFOR International Conference on Education in Hawaii (IICE) > IICEHawaii2018

IICEHawaii2018

“Surviving and Thriving in Times of Change”

January 4–6, 2018 | The Hawai'i Convention Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

In 2017, IAFOR education conferences in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America have brought together delegates from around the world to consider the theme of “Educating for Change” from a variety of different perspectives and approaches, taking full advantage of the international make-up of the attendees and the huge diversity of experiences. A recurring theme throughout the conferences was the reference to the future, be it immediate or longer term, as being uncertain; the natural resilience and optimism was counterbalanced by both apprehension; with hope also came fear.

In this period of great global political and economic instability, rising inequality and social unrest, the role of education within society has never been more important, but never more vulnerable. This brings us to our conference theme for 2018, which references these inherent vulnerabilities in both educational systems and the individual students and teachers, as well as the necessary resilience needed to not only survive, but also thrive.

How do we teachers, administrators and policymakers adopt and adapt to change outside our control? How do we nurture and encourage positive change, through the excitement of the imagination, innovation and creativity? How can technologies be better used to help us teach, and to help students learn? How do we sustain and manage change? How can we react positively to negative change? How can we, our institutions and our students survive and thrive in these times of change?

The Local Context: Hawaii and the Pacific

This unique international conference, organised in affiliation with IAFOR Global Partners, including the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, offers a unique location from which to consider a number of issues and trends in education, including distance, access and rural education, the frictions between the preservation and challenging of traditional and indigenous cultures, languages and wisdoms, and how alternative and marginalised groups are (re)valued. The population of the islands is multicultural and rich in the difference one would expect from its geographical location equidistant from Asia and the Americas. As part of the US system, the islands that make up Hawaii have a colonial past and present that informs questions of knowledge and identity, and invites discussions of social justice issues.

Abstracts (2018)
Download IICEHawaii2018 Conference Programme

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Programme

  • Anticipating Educational Needs That Ensure a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce for a Changing U.S. Population
    Anticipating Educational Needs That Ensure a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce for a Changing U.S. Population
    Keynote Presentation: Sela V. Panapasa
  • The East-West Center “Spin” on Education
    The East-West Center “Spin” on Education
    Keynote Presentation: Richard R. Vuylsteke
  • Native Hawaiian Health: Opportunities to Develop Healthy Leadership and Workforce
    Native Hawaiian Health: Opportunities to Develop Healthy Leadership and Workforce
    Keynote Presentation: Sheri-Ann Daniels
  • Education in a Changing World: New Partnership and Changing Paradigm for Education Development
    Education in a Changing World: New Partnership and Changing Paradigm for Education Development
    Keynote Presentation: Xiaoyan Liang
  • Surviving and Thriving: Education in Times of Change
    Surviving and Thriving: Education in Times of Change
    Keynote Presentation: Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio
  • Educational Policy: Does the Democratisation of Education in Educational Systems Fuel Economic and Social Inequality?
    Educational Policy: Does the Democratisation of Education in Educational Systems Fuel Economic and Social Inequality?
    Featured Panel Presentation: David P. Ericson, Xu Di & Joseph Haldane
  • IAFOR Silk Road Initiative Information Session
    IAFOR Silk Road Initiative Information Session
  • Pacific Indigenous Perspectives vs Global Ways of Learning
    Pacific Indigenous Perspectives vs Global Ways of Learning
    Featured Presentation: Hiagi M. Wesley
  • ‘Ignorance is Bliss’: The New Anti-Education Movement
    ‘Ignorance is Bliss’: The New Anti-Education Movement
    Keynote Presentation: Andy Curtis
  • IAFOR Documentary Photography Award 2017 | Award Winners Screening
    IAFOR Documentary Photography Award 2017 | Award Winners Screening

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Speakers

The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii (IICEHawaii) is a multidisciplinary conference held concurrently with The IAFOR International Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment – Hawaii (IICSEEHawaii). Keynote, Featured and Spotlight Speakers will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds.

  • Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio
    Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio
    University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, USA
  • Andy Curtis
    Andy Curtis
    Anaheim University, USA
  • Sheri-Ann Daniels
    Sheri-Ann Daniels
    Papa Ola Lōkahi
  • Xu Di
    Xu Di
    University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA
  • David P. Ericson
    David P. Ericson
    University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA
  • Xiaoyan Liang
    Xiaoyan Liang
    World Bank
  • Sela V. Panapasa
    Sela V. Panapasa
    University of Michigan, USA
  • Richard R. Vuylsteke
    Richard R. Vuylsteke
    East-West Center, USA
  • Hiagi M. Wesley
    Hiagi M. Wesley
    Brigham Young University – Hawaii, USA

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Organising Committee

The Conference Programme Committee is composed of distinguished academics who are experts in their fields. Conference Programme Committee members may also be members of IAFOR's International Academic Board. The Organising Committee is responsible for nominating and vetting Keynote and Featured Speakers; developing the conference programme, including special workshops, panels, targeted sessions, and so forth; event outreach and promotion; recommending and attracting future Conference Programme Committee members; working with IAFOR to select PhD students and early career academics for IAFOR-funded grants and scholarships; and overseeing the reviewing of abstracts submitted to the conference.

  • Xu Di
    Xu Di
    University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA
  • Joseph Haldane
    Joseph Haldane
    The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan
  • Curtis Ho
    Curtis Ho
    University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA
  • Barbara Lockee
    Barbara Lockee
    Virginia Tech, USA
  • James W. McNally
    James W. McNally
    University of Michigan, USA & NACDA Program on Aging
  • Ronald Mellado Miller
    Ronald Mellado Miller
    Brigham Young University–Hawaii, USA
  • Sela V. Panapasa
    Sela V. Panapasa
    University of Michigan, USA

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Review Committee

  • Dr Ai Chun Yen, National DongHwa University, Taiwan
  • Dr Graziela Giusti Pachane, UFTM, Brazil
  • Dr Joanie Crandall, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Dr Joy Tungol, University of Santo Tomas, The Philippines
  • Dr Kristin Palmer, University of Virginia, United States
  • Dr Ksenija Napan, Massey University, New Zealand
  • Dr Lazarus Maigoro, University of Jos, Nigeria, Nigeria
  • Dr Mariane Gazaille, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada
  • Dr Martiallou Organiza, University of the Visayas, The Philippines
  • Dr Pi-Chi Han, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan
  • Dr Premnadh Kurup, La Trobe University, Australia
  • Professor Sara Zimmerman, Appalachian State University, United States

IAFOR's peer review process, which involves both reciprocal review and the use of Review Committees, is overseen by conference Organising Committee members under the guidance of the Academic Governing Board. Review Committee members are established academics who hold PhDs or other terminal degrees in their fields and who have previous peer review experience.

If you would like to apply to serve on the IICE2019 Review Committee, please visit our application page.

Apply to Join the Review Committee

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Reviewers

IAFOR depends on the assistance of a large number of international academics and practitioners who contribute in a variety of ways to our shared mission of promoting international exchange, facilitating intercultural awareness, encouraging interdisciplinary discussion and generating and sharing new knowledge. Our academic events would not be what they are without a commitment to ensuring that international norms of peer review are observed for our presentation abstracts. With thousands of abstracts submitted each year for presentation at our conferences, IAFOR relies on academics around the world to ensure a fair and timely peer review process in keeping with established international norms of double-blind peer review. We are grateful for the time, effort and expertise donated by all our contributors.

Senior Reviewers (2018)

Dr Abdullah Alhomaidan
Arrass College of Technology, Saudi Arabia
Dr Akiko Nagao
Ryukoku University, Japan
Dr Alex Pinar
Akita International University, Japan
Dr Anju Aggarwal
University of Delhi, India
Dr Anurag Gupta
Independent Consultant, India
Professor Chia-Ti Heather Tseng
Ming Chuan University, Taiwan
Dr Ching-Sheue Fu
Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Taiwan
Professor Ching-Yuan Chiu
Nanhua University, Taiwan
Professor Chris Myburgh
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr Dylan Dittrich-Reed
Clemson University, United States
Dr Elizabeth Malonzo
Brokenshire College, The Philippines
Dr Ifem Emmanuel Orji
UNESCO Center for Global Education, United States
Dr Ilaria De Santis
Hawaii Tokai International College, United States
Professor James Carson
Griffith University, Australia
Dr James Oborah
Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Nigeria
Dr Jani Wilson
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Dr Jesvin Puay-Hwa Yeo
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Professor Ji-Hyun Park
Gwangju National University of Education, Republic of Korea
Dr Jodi Meyer-Mork
Luther College, United States
Dr Kiran Padmaraju
Eastern Illinois University, United States
Dr Les Pang
University of Maryland University College, United States
Dr Leslie Scamacca
LaGuardia Community College, United States
Dr Maria Cecilia Ycong
Far Eastern University, The Philippines
Dr Marquita Blades
Dr Blades Consulting, United States
Dr Matthew Motyka
University of San Francisco, United States
Dr Medie June P. Ariston
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, The Philippines
Dr Miguel Gonzales
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, United States
Professor Rafaqat Ali Akbar
The University of Punjab Lahore, Pakistan
Dr Sean Gay
Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan
Professor Shih-Hsuan Wei
National Taichung University of Education, Taiwan
Dr Suzanne Windsor-Liscombe
Independent Researcher, Canada
Dr Toshie Agawa
Seisen University, Japan
Dr Yu-Wen Wei
Defense Language Institute, United States
Dr Yifeng Yuan
University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Dr Ying-Chun Lai
Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan
Dr Zoran Poposki
The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Reviewers (2018)

Dr Alexander Lino
General Artemio Ricarte Senior High School, The Philippines
Dr Arit Uyouko
Akwa Ibom State College of Education, Nigeria
Dr Catherine Dhavernas
Queen’s University, Canada
Dr Chetan Sinha
O P Jindal Global University, India
Professor Darren Iwamoto
Chaminade University of Honolulu, United States
Professor Dian-Fu Chang
Tamkang University, Taiwan
Dr Dora Ho
The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Dr Elizabeth Lockard
Chaminade University, United States
Dr Eva Olsson
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Dr Ginneh Akbar
West Chester University, United States
Professor Gita Alaghband
University of Colorado, Denver, United States
Professor Hansel Burley
Texas Technical University, United States
Dr Ivy Chia
Singapore Institute of Management, Singapore
Dr Jagroop Singh
Mehr Chand Polytechnic College, India
Dr Jean Annan
Positively Psychology Ltd, New Zealand
Dr Jung-Chih Chen
National Chiayi University, Taiwan
Professor Nancy Nisbett
Fresno State, United States
Dr Neda Chepinchikj
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Dr Nidhi Gadura
Queensborough Community College, United States
Dr Noriko Kurata
Tokyo University of Science, Japan
Dr Raquel Bernabe
San Miguel, The Philippines
Professor Shin-ying Huang
National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Dr Victoria Tuzlukova
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Professor Wafaa El-Banna
Najran University, Saudi Arabia
Professor X. Jie Yang
University of Calgary, Canada
Dr Yoko Yamada
Niigata University, Japan

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IAFOR Grant & Scholarship Recipients

Our warmest congratulations go to Shaohua Pei, recipient of the Stuart D. B. Picken Grant & Scholarship, and Suvendu Biswas and Anna Bajema, recipients of IAFOR Scholarships, who have been selected by the conference Organising Committee to receive financial support to present their research at The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2018 and The IAFOR International Conference on Sustainability, Energy & the Environment – Hawaii 2018.

IAFOR's grants and scholarships programme provides financial support to PhD students and early career academics, with the aim of helping them pursue research excellence and achieve their academic goals through interdisciplinary study and interaction. Awards are based on the appropriateness of the educational opportunity in relation to the applicant's field of study, financial need, and contributions to their community and to IAFOR's mission of interdisciplinarity. Scholarships are awarded based on availability of funds from IAFOR and vary with each conference.

The Organising Committee of the relevant IAFOR conference awards scholarships to eligible applicants who have submitted exceptional abstracts that have passed the blind peer review process and have been accepted for presentation at the conference.

Shaohua Pei, Iowa State University, USA

Stuart D. B. Picken Scholarship Recipient

Shaohua (Linda) Pei is currently a PhD candidate majoring in Educational leadership at Iowa State University, USA. Her research interests include struggles and success of international students, internationalisation of higher education, microaggression experience of Asian students, second language acquisition, and intercultural communication.

Abstract

Embracing Diversities: International College Students’ Interaction Experience with Domestic Students in the U.S.

For the past 11 consecutive years, an increasing number of international students have been enrolled in the U.S. universities, and this number is expected to continue growing in the next decade. As a fundamental process for students’ development, interaction promotes students’ cognitive ability as well as their cultural understanding and awareness. Frequent peer interaction enhances student-centered learning and thus encourages diversified ideas. This phenomenological study explored the ways in which international college students (including undergraduates and graduates) interacting with domestic students. The research questions are: First, in what ways do international college students interact with domestic students? Second, what are the motivating factors for international college students to interact with domestic students? Third, what are some of the factors that make the interaction difficult? 10 face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted at a large Mid-Western public research institution to identify the motivating factors as well as potential barriers for the interaction. Key findings in this study contribute to the growing body of research on international students’ interaction. Practical implications are provided for student affair professionals and international education administrators to engage more of international students’ interaction.

Suvendu Biswas, BRAC University Institute of Educational Development (BRACU-IED), BRAC University, Bangladesh

IAFOR Scholarship Recipient

Suvendu Biswas is currently a post-graduate student of Education at BRAC University, Bangladesh, and a Teach For Bangladesh fellow, working for quality education and educational equity in Bangladesh. He was previously an Indian Government’s International Council for Cultural Relations Scholar and did his initial post-graduation in Public Administration and Public Policy from the University of Mysore, India. Although Mr. Biswas is an International Relations graduate, he has diverse research interests. He is passionate about working on International Affairs, International Security, Global Political Economy, Public Policy and recent trend in Education and Education Policy. Suvendu’s future interest is to work as a researcher at a globally renowned university or research institute and devote rest of his career in the field of research.

Abstract

School Level Governance and the Quality of Primary Education: A Bangladesh Perspective

School Management Committee (SMC) plays a substantial role in enhancing the quality of education by not only increasing the community participation and engaging the local people in educational development program but also making strategic planning and measuring Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of the head of the school. That is why effectiveness and efficiency of SMC are significant for strengthening the school governance. However, due to ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the SMC, the quality of primary education in Bangladesh is not being met. This research paper explores why is the SMC failing to strengthen the school governance and what are the strategies required to follow to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the SMC for active school governance. The result shows that most of the cases the SMC members do not know their job descriptions and responsibilities. They don’t have sufficient training on what to do and how to do as well. The communication gap between head teacher (HT) and SMC members is another reason why the SMCs are failing to strengthen the school governance. Finally, the paper suggests some strategies to strengthen the school governance by enhancing the capacity of the SMCs so that a well-organized, unbiased, as well as high-quality primary education system, can be established in Bangladesh.

Anna Bajema, James Cook University, Australia

IAFOR Scholarship Recipient

Anna completed her undergraduate and honours degrees in psychology at James Cook University in Australia in 2014. She is currently a Phd student and her research project is investigating Australian perceptions towards Environmentally Displaced People in the context of the Integrated Threat Theory. Her project will also investigate how these perceptions are influenced by the use of virtual reality perspective taking.

Abstract

Australian Attitudes Towards Environmentally Displaced People: What Can We Expect?

Australia is identified as a potential host country for thousands of Pacific islanders expected to be displaced due to projected sea level rise. Host country attitudes towards and acceptance of displaced people impact the health and wellbeing of those displaced. Thus, it is important to understand how Australians, and other host countries view environmentally displaced people. Currently, there is insufficient research which investigates attitudes towards environmentally displaced people, which the current project aims to address. The current project used an online survey and collected data from 419 Australians (Mean age =28(SD=12.86), F=295, M=119, 78% undergraduate university students) on various attitude measures (e.g. prejudices) towards two groups of displaced people: non-environmentally (e.g. refugees) and environmentally displaced people. Aggregated results indicate the participants had low-moderate scores on scales measuring negative attitudes towards both forms of displaced people. ANOVA results indicate mean ratings of the attitude measures did not differ significantly across the two groups (all p’s > .05). These findings provide unique insights into host country citizens’ attitudes towards environmentally displaced people and the complexity of these attitudes. That is, though the participants reported attitudes were generally positive towards environmentally displaced people, reported attitudes were also generally positive towards non-environmentally displaced people. These results suggest the drivers and social outcomes of attitudes regarding displaced people is complex. Various implications for these findings, such as future social cohesiveness in the face of large scale displacement, are discussed.

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Anticipating Educational Needs That Ensure a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce for a Changing U.S. Population
Keynote Presentation: Sela V. Panapasa

Global migration, intermarriage, and geographic mobility are changing the demographic composition of cities and states across the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of the nation’s children are expected to be part of a minority race or ethnic group by 2020. Similarly, the minority population is expected to rise to 56 percent of the total population in 2060 compared to 38 percent in 2014. This population dynamic calls attention to the need to address current and future shortages as well as challenges in education and training to address the ongoing lack of diversity in existing research, public health workforce, and post-graduate training occupations. In key economic areas including medical care, policy development and representative government, there is a clear need for culturally competent leaders to lead educational programs and become the next generation that addresses the needs of growing, yet underrepresented minority populations. This presentation will highlight three distinct programs at different levels of the educational continuum to illustrate the important role that proactive educational policy can play in times of change.

The presentation will draw from a number of focused training and education curriculum that help provided inclusion and training to minority students and which offer insights and competency training to non-minority students interested in working with underrepresented populations. The discussion will review high school programs that promote STEM projects, summer training opportunities, and focused programs that introduce college students to public health, research and diverse workforce. These programs offer experience and encourage education opportunities.

Read presenter biographies.

The East-West Center “Spin” on Education
Keynote Presentation: Richard R. Vuylsteke

The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options.

This presentation will introduce some special East-West Center approaches to education, including “place utility,” “cross-cubed” programs, and social media umbrellas.

Read presenter biographies.

Native Hawaiian Health: Opportunities to Develop Healthy Leadership and Workforce
Keynote Presentation: Sheri-Ann Daniels

In 1985, E Ola Mau (EOM), The Native Hawaiian Health Needs Assessment reported the disparate rates of death and illness in the Native Hawaiians. To address the E Ola Mau findings, Congress passed the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988. Papa Ola Lokahi (POL), the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (NHHSP) and the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems (NHHCSs) were established under The Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988. The Act was reauthorized and renamed the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act (NHHCIA) in 1992. In 2010, the NHHCIA was included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reauthorized until 2019. POL is responsible for implementing the mandates of the NHHCIA, with an overarching goal to raise the health status of Native Hawaiians to the highest possible level. One of the mandates includes training of Native Hawaiian health professionals. This is done through our relationship with the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems and the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program [workforce development component].

Learning Objectives:

Read presenter biographies.

Education in a Changing World: New Partnership and Changing Paradigm for Education Development
Keynote Presentation: Xiaoyan Liang

The presentation will shed light on the evolution as well as emerging policies and practices implicitly and explicitly espoused in the World Bank education programs. Neoliberalism ideologies have impacted education reform policies in developing countries in the last two to three decades. Privatisation, decentralisation, school choice, accountability, and standards (often unreachable and without sufficient enabling conditions) have been the mantra for much of the education development. The results, however, are not optimal, widening the gap in access and quality of education and often weakened state institutions in the mandate and provision of education. The World Development Report 2018 labelled the status of education as a “learning crisis”. At the same time, the presentation will highlight the alternative and successful path of education development in selected East Asian countries such as China and Korea, characterised by the strong role of the states, balancing central planning with local implementation, pragmatism in adopting different priorities at different stages of development. Further, at core of the East Asian education experience is the relentless focus on teachers and instructional excellence at every level of education and a heavy dose of science, technology and engineering curriculum (STEM), which many now agree have contributed to the economic miracles we witness today in these countries.

The World Bank, under a few of its flagship programs, is beginning to embrace and promote knowledge sharing and partnerships between the new donors (as opposed to traditional ones) such as China and Korea with other developing countries including Africa, aiming at leveraging the Chinese and Korean education development experience in basic education, higher education, as well as technical and vocational education and training. Concrete examples will be provided to illustrate how these projects are incubating concrete collaboration between the Chinese and Korean institutions with the African ones.

This presentation is kindly sponsored by The World Bank.

Read presenter biographies.

Surviving and Thriving: Education in Times of Change
Keynote Presentation: Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio

From my first year (‘97) as a faculty member at the University of Hawaii, College of Business Administration, an intellectual and world view dilemma between my Polynesian beliefs, rooted in traditional values, and Western education/perspectives continued unabated until years later when I matured as a ranking traditional leader (alii) of the Samoan archipelago and as a seasoned educator and administrator at the secondary and post-secondary levels. The cause of that dilemma was the intellectual contrast between the notion of a mechanistic universe motivated by a linear rational process and an organic universe, genealogically connected that privileged intuition, dialogue with ancestors, and kinship ties among all living things. Utilising one or the other has been harmful and ineffective in adapting effectively to change particularly if imposed by a dominant culture. Rather than supplant traditional beliefs and cultural values with ‘modern’ pedagogic and leadership methods and/or perspectives of success, a more effective method of reconciling the seemingly opposing values and moving forward was synthesising cultural knowledge and traditional wisdoms with modern knowledge, science and technology. Combine the best of both, discarding their weaknesses and creating a third option with value added. The opportunities for success are compelling.

Click here to read the biographies of IICEHawaii2018 presenters.

Educational Policy: Does the Democratisation of Education in Educational Systems Fuel Economic and Social Inequality?
Featured Panel Presentation: David P. Ericson, Xu Di & Joseph Haldane

‘In nearly all the western world and, now, most of Asia, the high hopes that led to the expansion of educational systems have yielded to some second thoughts about the efficacy of educational systems in attaining economic growth, social reform, and a more equitable division of social and economic benefits. Indeed, in some countries the democratisation of education has been accompanied by increasing inequalities. The intent of educational planning has been frustrated to the point that it casts wholesale doubt on the future capability of educational policy making itself.’

Is the substance of such claims true, partially true, or simply exaggerated? Have the promise of and democratisation of educational expansion throughout the world helped to fuel rising social inequality? What lessons can we draw for what we may reasonably expect from educational planning and policy?

Click here to read the biographies of IICEHawaii2018 presenters.

IAFOR Silk Road Initiative Information Session

As an organization, IAFOR’s mission is to promote international exchange, facilitate intercultural awareness, encourage interdisciplinary discussion, and generate and share new knowledge. In 2018, we are excited to launch a major new and ambitious international, intercultural and interdisciplinary research initiative which uses the silk road trade routes as a lens through which to study some of the world’s largest historical and contemporary geopolitical trends, shifts and exchanges.

IAFOR is headquartered in Japan, and the 2018 inauguration of this project aligns with the 150th Anniversary of the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when Japan opened its doors to the trade and ideas that would precipitate its rapid modernisation and its emergence as a global power. At a time when global trends can seem unpredictable, and futures fearful, the IAFOR Silk Road Initiative gives the opportunity to revisit the question of the impact of international relations from a long-term perspective.

This ambitious initiative will encourage individuals and institutions working across the world to support and undertake research centring on the contact between countries and regions in Europe and Asia – from Gibraltar to Japan – and the maritime routes that went beyond, into the South-East Continent and the Philippines, and later out into the Pacific Islands and the United States. The IAFOR Silk Road Initiative will be concerned with all aspects of this contact, and will examine both material and intellectual traces, as well as consequences.

For more information about the IAFOR Silk Road Initiative, click here.

Pacific Indigenous Perspectives vs Global Ways of Learning
Featured Presentation: Hiagi M. Wesley

Pacific islanders, in pursuing an education in America’s universities, have to deal with cultural perspectives that influence their way of life, behaviour, motivation and learning. These students, comprising different levels of English language proficiency with diversified degrees of socialization in globalization, continue to perform poorly in America’s institutions of higher learning. The students could be non-citizens with student visas or bona fide citizens of the United States who are children of immigrants from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.

The cultural perspectives that determine their identity and self-esteem could be barriers as well as sources of conflict in the academic setting. The challenge is to deal with two perspectives that are bipolar in nature: the heritage culture as well as the school culture with its norms and expectations. Pedagogically, the context of teaching is focused on global perspectives, thus contributing to the already disadvantaged Pacific islanders.

As students acquire a more global perspective, they are in a position to negotiate the system, engage meta-cognitively and participate in the learning process. In retrospect, the greater the level of cognition related to global perspectives, the more likely for the students to acquire, adapt and apply effective strategies that contribute to their academic success. When there is greater incongruence between cultural and global perspectives students feel challenged, lack motivation and experience alienation in the educational settings. The end result could be failure and overall poor performance.

Click here to read the biographies of IICEHawaii2018 presenters.

‘Ignorance is Bliss’: The New Anti-Education Movement
Keynote Presentation: Andy Curtis

Talking to attendees at an education conference about the importance of Education may be characterised as ‘preaching to the converted’ or ‘singing to the choir’, as all of us who attend such events are, ipso facto, convinced of and committed to the value and importance of Education. However, outside of our Education world there appears to be a growing number of high-profile, high-powered world leaders and celebrities who are not only ignorant of basic facts and figures regarding the world around them, but who appear to be proud of their ignorance. That can be seen as an attack on the belief that being an Educated Person as an inherently good thing to be.

Linguistically, a reflection of this blissful/boastful ignorance is the Oxford English Dictionary’s (OED) 2016 Word-of-the-Year: ‘Post-Truth’. According to the OED site: “Post-truth has gone from being a peripheral term to being a mainstay in political commentary, now often being used by major publications without the need for clarification or definition in their headlines”. If Truth is now ‘optional’, what does this mean for Education, and for us as educators? In terms of language, a related phrase is ‘Alternative Facts’, used in January 2017, by the US Counselor to the then-new President of the USA. Again, if Facts are now also ‘optional’ what does this mean for education and educators? In this keynote presentation we will look at some possible answers to these questions.

Read presenter biographies.

IAFOR Documentary Photography Award 2017 | Award Winners Screening

The IAFOR Documentary Photography Award was launched by The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) in 2015 as an international photography award that seeks to promote and assist in the professional development of emerging documentary photographers and photojournalists. The award has benefitted since the outset from the expertise of an outstanding panel of internationally renowned photographers, including Dr Paul Lowe as the Founding Judge, and Ed Kashi, Monica Allende, Simon Roberts, Jocelyn Bain Hogg, Simon Norfolk and Emma Bowkett as Guest Judges. Now in its third year, the award has already been widely recognised by those in the industry and has been supported by World Press Photo, Metro Imaging, MediaStorm, Think Tank Photo, University of the Arts London, RMIT University, British Journal of Photography, The Centre for Documentary Practice, and the Medill School of Journalism.

As an organisation, IAFOR’s mission is to promote international exchange, facilitate intercultural awareness, encourage interdisciplinary discussion, and generate and share new knowledge. In keeping with this mission, in appreciation of the great value of photography as a medium that can be shared across borders of language, culture and nation, and to influence and inform our academic work and programmes, the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award was launched as a competition that would help underline the importance of the organisation’s aims, and would promote and recognise best practice and excellence.

Winners of the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award 2017 were announced at The European Conference on Media, Communication & Film 2017 (EuroMedia2017) in Brighton, UK. The award follows the theme of the EuroMedia conference, with 2017’s theme being “History, Story, Narrative”. In support of up-and-coming talent, the IAFOR Documentary Photography Award is free to enter.

Access to the Award Screening is included in the conference registration fee. For more information about the award, click here.

Image | From the project Single Mothers of Afghanistan by IAFOR Documentary Photography Award 2017 Grand Prize Winner, Kiana Hayeri.

Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio
University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, USA

Biography

Papalii Dr Failautusi ‘Tusi’ Avegalio is the director of the multi national award winning Pacific Business Center Program (PBCP) and the executive director of the Honolulu Minority Business Enterprise Center (HMBEC) at the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business. A former research fellow with the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center, Avegalio is the first native from Oceania to become a professor at the Shidler College of Business. He has consulted extensively for traditional chiefs, village councils, governments, colleges and universities, financial institutions, multi-national corporations and businesses nationally and internationally. He also has been the primary organiser of many events, such as the University of Hawai‘i Stars of Oceania to recognise the contributions of Pacific Islanders to the State, Nation and World inaugurated in 2006 with most recent event in American Samoa in 2017, and Regional & Global Breadfruit Summits in American Samoa (2013), Hawai‘i (2016), and the recent 2017 Breadfruit Summit in Apia, Samoa. Dr Tusi has a doctorate in educational administration from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is a Polynesian alii and senior heir of the Malietoa warrior king line of Samoa holding the traditional title of ‘Papali’i’ from Savaii, Samoa.

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2018) | "Surviving and Thriving: Education in Times of Change"
Andy Curtis
Anaheim University, USA

Biography

From 2007 to 2011, Dr Andy Curtis was the Director of the English Language Teaching Unit at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a professor in the Faculty of Education there. Prior to 2007, he was the Executive Director of the School of English at Queen’s University, Canada, and a professor at the School for International Training, USA. He is currently working with the Graduate School of Education at Anaheim University. From 2015 to 2016, he served as the 50th President of the TESOL International Association. In 2016, he received one of the Association’s 50-at-50 Awards, when he was voted one of the Fifty Most Influential Figures in the Field, over the last 50 years.

Dr Curtis has published more than 100 articles, book chapters and books, including Learning About Language Assessment: Dilemmas, Decisions, and Directions (2015, National Geographic/Cengage Learning), co-authored with Kathi Bailey. He is also the editor of a new nine-book series ELT In Context, published between 2015 and 2017, and the editor of a new five-book series, Applied Linguistics for the Language Classroom, published in 2017 by Palgrave Macmillan, which includes his book, Language Teaching Methods and Methodologies: The Centrality of Context.

Over the last 25 years, he has been invited to present to around 25,000 teachers in 50 countries, in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as North, South and Central America. He is is based in Ontario, Canada, from where he works as a consultant for education organisations worldwide.

Keynote Presentation (2018) | ‘Ignorance is Bliss’: The New Anti-Education Movement
Sheri-Ann Daniels
Papa Ola Lōkahi

Biography

Sheri-Ann Daniels is the executive director of Papa Ola Lōkahi, the Native Hawaiian health board, and chair of Nā Limahana o Lonopūhā, the Native Hawaiian Health Consortium. Born and raised on Maui, Dr Sheri-Ann Daniels is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools - Kapālama campus. She holds degrees in the field of counselling psychology and has several license certifications. She has more than 20 years of experience in social services programs across Hawai’i in both the non-profit and government sectors.

Dr Daniels was recognised in 2014 with the Maui County Women of Excellence award. Other awards include the Pacific Business News - 40 Under 40 (2010) and Ka Ipu Kukui Fellow (2008). She is actively involved in various community and civic organisations on Maui, including Hawaiian Language education.

Keynote Presentation (2018) | Native Hawaiian Health: Opportunities to Develop Healthy Leadership and Workforce
Xu Di
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA

Biography

Xu Di (许笛) is a professor in the department of Education Foundations, College of Education, University of Hawai’i-Mānoa. She is a member of the board of examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, now Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation [CAEP]), which has provided national accreditation for teacher education programs in the United States since 2007. Her recent publications focus on bridging Eastern and Western philosophy for educational practices and include Chinese Philosophy on Teaching & Learning: Xueji《学记》 in the Twenty-First Century (2016), The Wisdom from the East: A Holistic Theory and Practice of Health and Wellness (2013), Spiritual Heritage and Education Today (2013), Taoism: Origin, Essence, and Practice (2013), and A Reading of Lao Zi for Educational Philosophers Today (2012). In addition, she published A Comparison of the Educational Ideas and Practices of John Dewey and Mao Zedong in China (1992) and various chapters and articles on teacher education, educational foundations, multicultural education, international education, and ESL education. She worked as an international consultant in teacher education and educational reforms in Central Asia and Africa for the World Bank in 2002 and 2001. She served on the Hawai’i Teacher Standard Board (2005–2008) and as the president of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) Hawai’i Chapter as well as Hawai’i state representative (2006–2008). She was a visiting scholar and research associate at the Philosophy of Educational Research Center at Harvard University (1999–2000), a visiting professor in Peking University (2015, 2011, 2009, and 1997) and in Renmin University (2012, 2014, and 2016), and an exchange professor at National Kaohsiung University in Taiwan (1998). She served as manuscript editor as well as editorial board member for Harvard Educational Review during 1988–1990. She was honored in Who’s Who among American Teachers in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2008.

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2018) | Educational Policy: Does the Democratisation of Education in Educational Systems Fuel Economic and Social Inequality?
Featured Panel Presentation (2017) | Aloha as a Way of Being: Hawaiian Perspectives on Learning

David P. Ericson
University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA

Biography

David P. Ericson is a Professor of Philosophy of Education and Educational Policy Studies in the Department of Educational Foundations, College of Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to joining the Faculty of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1992, he was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (1979 – 1992) and a professor at Virginia Tech (1977 – 1979). In the College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, he has served as chairperson in two departments (Department of Educational Foundations and the Department of Curriculum & Instruction), as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and as director of the Office of International Education. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Philosophy and Education for five years.

With research and scholarly interests in philosophy of education, educational policy analysis, and comparative and international education, he has published widely on education issues, the logic of social science research methodology, and educational policy and reform issues in the U.S. and Asia. He is particularly noted for his work on the structure and behaviour of national educational systems in the U.S. and Asia. He has been a Fulbright Senior Specialist Award holder (2007 – 2012), an award that has enabled his research efforts on educational reform issues in lower and higher education in Denmark and China. Most recently, he has been researching policy issues concerning the expansion and quality of higher education in Vietnam.

Panel Presentation (2020) | Education, Work, and Sustainability in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2019) | Featured Panel in Association with APHERP
Featured Panel Presentation (2018) | Educational Policy: Does the Democratisation of Education in Educational Systems Fuel Economic and Social Inequality?
Xiaoyan Liang
World Bank

Biography

Xiaoyan Liang is a Lead Education Specialist in the World Bank. Dr Liang joined the World Bank formally as a Young Professional in 1998 after graduating from Harvard University with a Doctor of Education degree. Since then, she has led policy dialogue and research, and managed the World Bank’s education programs in Africa, Latin America, and East Asia Regions. Dr Liang has solid education policy research, program development and implementation expertise in early childhood education, technical and vocational and higher education, education finance, and teacher development. She is widely published. Her most recent analytical works include “Challenges and Opportunities in Early Childhood Education in Yunnan” and “Developing Skills for Economic Transformation and Social Harmony in China”. She is also the lead author of the well-received World Bank’s “How Shanghai Does It: Insights and Lessons from the Highest-Ranking Education System in the World” report. Dr Liang is currently the World Bank’s Africa Regional Team Leader for the East and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project, Skills for Africa Transformation and Regional Integration, and the Partnership for Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology (PASET). Prior to that, she was the team leader for World Bank’s education programs in China, Malaysia and Korea. Dr Liang is passionate and committed to education development and to facilitating education partnership between East Asia, Africa and other countries.

Keynote Presentation (2017) | Education in a Changing World: New Partnership and Changing Paradigm for Education Development

This presentation is kindly sponsored by The World Bank.

Sela V. Panapasa
University of Michigan, USA

Biography

Dr Sela V. Panapasa studies family support and intergenerational exchanges among aged Pacific Islanders living in the US and Pacific region. Her work examines changes in elderly living arrangements and headship status in response to demographic and socioeconomic change. Her interests include family demography, race and ethnicity, measuring health disparities and comparative studies.

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience
Featured Panel Presentation (2019) | Independence & Interdependence
Keynote Presentation (2018) | Anticipating Educational Needs That Ensure a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce for a Changing U.S. Population
Richard R. Vuylsteke
East-West Center, USA

Biography

Dr Richard R. Vuylsteke (pronounced VUL-stek) took office as the East-West Center’s 11th Chief Executive on January 1, 2017. A former EWC grantee and staff member, he rejoined the Center after several decades living in Asia and serving most recently as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

Previously he served as President of the American Chamber in Taipei, Editor-in-Chief of the Taiwan Review, and Area Studies Coordinator for the US Department of State Foreign Service Institute in Taipei. Earlier in his career, he was a research fellow in East Asian Legal Studies at Harvard Law School as well as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Rajasthan, India.

Originally from Illinois, and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Illinois College, Dr Vuylsteke was an East-West Center grantee in the 1970s while he earned MA and PhD degrees from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, specializing in Western and Chinese political philosophy. While still a graduate student he joined the Center’s staff as a research assistant to the Director of the Culture Learning Institute, and later worked as a special assistant to the EWC president with focus on Pacific Community topics. In addition, he taught courses at the University of Hawai'i and Chaminade University in Asian history and social, political and legal philosophy. He also worked at the Pacific Forum (now Pacific Forum/CSIS).

Prior to graduate school, he served three years in the US Army, leaving active duty as a 1st Lieutenant. While in the service, he was stationed in Hawai’i at the US Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) as Chief of the China Desk and later seconded to CINCPAC (now PACOM) as Chief of the Soviet Far East Desk.

His areas of expertise include strategic and operational leadership of multicultural organisations; Asia Pacific business and trade, and Asian and Western history and philosophy.

Dr Vuylsteke is married to Josephine Wu Vuylsteke, a former broadcast journalist; they have three sons.

Keynote Presentation (2019) | Education and Sustainability: Local Lessons from Hawai’i

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2018) | The East-West Center “Spin” on Education
Hiagi M. Wesley
Brigham Young University – Hawaii, USA

Biography

Having been in the classroom at elementary school, junior and senior high school, and university levels, as well as an administrator at all levels, Dr Hiagi M. Wesley is passionate about student learning and academic success. He has a special interest in how different indigenous cultures affect the academic success of students.

His current responsibilities in leadership and teaching have been in the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Studies programs at Brigham Young University – Hawaii, USA. He strives to apply effective pedagogy for student learning, in his role as Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Humanities, as he provides services in the area of curriculum development.

His educational background includes a Master’s degree and Supervisory Certificate in Secondary School Administration as well as a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration. Other training includes an ESL certificate as well as Diversity and Sensitivity credentials.

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Featured Presentation (2018) | Pacific Indigenous Perspectives vs Global Ways of Learning
Xu Di
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA

Biography

Xu Di (许笛) is a professor in the department of Education Foundations, College of Education, University of Hawai’i-Mānoa. She is a member of the board of examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE, now Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation [CAEP]), which has provided national accreditation for teacher education programs in the United States since 2007. Her recent publications focus on bridging Eastern and Western philosophy for educational practices and include Chinese Philosophy on Teaching & Learning: Xueji《学记》 in the Twenty-First Century (2016), The Wisdom from the East: A Holistic Theory and Practice of Health and Wellness (2013), Spiritual Heritage and Education Today (2013), Taoism: Origin, Essence, and Practice (2013), and A Reading of Lao Zi for Educational Philosophers Today (2012). In addition, she published A Comparison of the Educational Ideas and Practices of John Dewey and Mao Zedong in China (1992) and various chapters and articles on teacher education, educational foundations, multicultural education, international education, and ESL education. She worked as an international consultant in teacher education and educational reforms in Central Asia and Africa for the World Bank in 2002 and 2001. She served on the Hawai’i Teacher Standard Board (2005–2008) and as the president of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) Hawai’i Chapter as well as Hawai’i state representative (2006–2008). She was a visiting scholar and research associate at the Philosophy of Educational Research Center at Harvard University (1999–2000), a visiting professor in Peking University (2015, 2011, 2009, and 1997) and in Renmin University (2012, 2014, and 2016), and an exchange professor at National Kaohsiung University in Taiwan (1998). She served as manuscript editor as well as editorial board member for Harvard Educational Review during 1988–1990. She was honored in Who’s Who among American Teachers in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2008.

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2018) | Educational Policy: Does the Democratisation of Education in Educational Systems Fuel Economic and Social Inequality?
Featured Panel Presentation (2017) | Aloha as a Way of Being: Hawaiian Perspectives on Learning

Joseph Haldane
The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

Biography

Joseph Haldane is the founder, chairman, and CEO of IAFOR. He is responsible for devising strategy, setting policies, forging institutional partnerships, implementing projects, and overseeing the organisation’s global business and academic operations.

Dr Haldane has a PhD from the University of London in nineteenth-century French studies (ULIP/RHUL), and has research interests in world history and politics; international education; and governance and decision making. Since 2015, he has been a Guest Professor at Osaka University’s School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), and Co-Director of the OSIPP-IAFOR Research Centre since 2017.

In 2020, Dr Haldane was elected Honorary Professor of University College London (UCL) through the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, and full Professor in the United Nations Peace University's European Center for Peace and Development in 2022. A member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network for global governance, he holds visiting professorships at Belgrade and Doshisha Universities where he teaches ethics and governance. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Professor Haldane has had full-time faculty positions at the Université Paris-Est Créteil, Sciences Po Paris, and Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, as well as visiting positions at the French Press Institute (Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas), and the Schools of Journalism of Sciences Po Paris and Moscow State University.

Dr Haldane has been invited to speak at universities and conferences globally, including the UN HQ in New York, and advised universities, NGOs and governments on issues relating to international education policy, public-private partnerships, and multi-stakeholder forums. He was the project lead on the 2019 Kansai Resilience Forum, held by the Japanese Government through the Prime Minister’s Office and oversaw the 2021 Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned study on Infectious Diseases on Cruise Ships.

Panel Presentation (2025) | TBA

Previous Presentations

Featured Interview (2024) | Questions of Education, Curation and Artificial Intelligence
Curtis Ho
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, USA

Biography

Curtis Ho is Professor, Department Chair and Graduate Chair of the Learning Design and Technology department at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. He has been a UH faculty member for over 30 years, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in educational media research, interactive multimedia, web-based instruction, distance education, video technology, and computer-based education. He has taught courses in American and Western Samoa and Saipan, and was the first to offer a course statewide over the Hawai’i Interactive Television System.

Curtis Ho received his PhD in Educational Technology from Arizona State University where he served as instructional designer. He has consulted for public and private schools, financial institutions, and higher education. For several years he directed the Office of Faculty Development and Academic Support for the University of Hawaii’s Manoa campus. He has presented extensively at national and international conferences at locations including Beijing, Copenhagen, Eskisehir, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Lugano, Rome, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Melbourne, Montreal, Osaka, Panang, Taipei, Takamatsu, Tokyo, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Professor Ho was a Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director for three US Department of Education grants totalling over 9.8 million US dollars. He is a co-organiser of TCC Worldwide Online Conference, an executive committee member of E-Learn, Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education, and is also past-President of the Pan Pacific Distance Learning Association, a chapter of the United States Distance Learning Association and of the Pacific Association for Communications and Technology, a chapter of the national Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Featured Panel Presentation (2022) | Building Back Better

Previous IICEHawaii Presentations

Featured Panel Presentation (2019) | Independence & Interdependence
Featured Panel Presentation (2017) | Educating for Change: Challenging and Preserving Traditional Cultures
Barbara Lockee
Virginia Tech, USA

Biography

Dr Lockee is Professor of Instructional Design and Technology at Virginia Tech, USA, where she is also Associate Director of the School of Education and Associate Director of Educational Research and Outreach. She teaches courses in instructional design, message design, and distance education. Her research interests focus on instructional design issues related to technology-mediated learning. She has published more than 80 papers in academic journals, conferences and books, and has presented her scholarly work at over 90 national and international conferences.

Dr Lockee is Immediate Past President of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, an international professional organisation for educational technology researchers and practitioners. She earned her PhD in 1996 from Virginia Tech in Curriculum and Instruction (Instructional Technology), M.A. in 1991 from Appalachian State University in Curriculum and Instruction (Educational Media), and BA in 1986 from Appalachian State University in Communication Arts.

James W. McNally
University of Michigan, USA & NACDA Program on Aging

Biography

James W. McNally is the Director of the NACDA Program on Aging, a data archive containing over 1,500 studies related to health and the aging lifecourse. He currently does methodological research on the improvement and enhancement of secondary research data and has been cited as an expert authority on data imputation. Dr McNally has directed the NACDA Program on Aging since 1998 and has seen the archive significantly increase its holdings with a growing collection of seminal studies on the aging lifecourse, health, retirement and international aspects of aging. He has spent much of his career addressing methodological issues with a specific focus on specialized application of incomplete or deficient data and the enhancement of secondary data for research applications. James W. McNally has also worked extensively on issues related to international aging and changing perspectives on the role of family support in the later stages of the aging lifecourse.

Dr James W. McNally is a Vice-President of IAFOR. He is Chair of the Social Sciences & Sustainability division of the International Academic Advisory Board.

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience
Featured Presentation (2017) | Methodologies for the Collection of Comparative Community Level Public Health Data: Obtaining Powerful and Statistically Meaningful Findings for Small Populations
Ronald Mellado Miller
Brigham Young University–Hawaii, USA

Biography

Dr Ronald Mellado Miller received his PhD from Purdue University in Experimental Psychology, USA, and is currently a professor at Brigham Young University in Hawaii. Dr Miller’s main interests have been in the area of applied statistical analysis and predictive modelling. As a result, his research and work have been quite eclectic. He has research published in journals ranging from Animal Learning and Behaviour, Learning and Motivation, Applied Neuropsychology, TechTrends, and the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, out of Oxford University Press, where he has also served as a reviewer. He has worked for a number of major airlines (Fedex, United, US Airways, etc.) in the area of safety. His international projects have ranged from India and the Philippines, where he was able to assist NGOs established to aid those in poverty, to China, where he worked with the largest entertainment company in the country. He has led research in Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa, working with governments and NGOs to improve educational and other social outcomes. He has a great love for teaching and mentoring. His students have participated in each of his consulting projects and have been accepted to prestigious schools around the world, including Oxford University, MIT, and Columbia University, among others.

Sela V. Panapasa
University of Michigan, USA

Biography

Dr Sela V. Panapasa studies family support and intergenerational exchanges among aged Pacific Islanders living in the US and Pacific region. Her work examines changes in elderly living arrangements and headship status in response to demographic and socioeconomic change. Her interests include family demography, race and ethnicity, measuring health disparities and comparative studies.

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2021) | Cultural Resilience
Featured Panel Presentation (2019) | Independence & Interdependence
Keynote Presentation (2018) | Anticipating Educational Needs That Ensure a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce for a Changing U.S. Population