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Enhancing Indigenous Students

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Title: Enhancing Indigenous Students


1
Enhancing Indigenous Students Transitions into
QUT The First Four Weeks
  • Bronwyn Ewing, Kym Anderson Susan Willsteed
  • Acknowledged contribution of Jean Phillips

2
Acknowledgement
  • We would like to acknowledge the traditional
    owners custodians of the land we are gathered
    on today - past, present and future.

3
Standpoint situating ourselves
  • Myth of objectivity
  • need to be aware of own cultural and individual
    standpoint and the implications of these.
  • (See Karen Martin, Aileen Moreton-Robinson,
    Martin Nakata)

4
Standpoint
  • Bron Ewing is the youngest child in the family
    of Peter Henry Grenville Ewing and Daphne Jean
    Roberts. I was born and raised in Sydney, Eora
    country in NSW. My father is a direct descendant
    of the Ewing clan from Galway, Ireland and before
    then the MacEwan clan from Glascow, Scotland. My
    mother is from England. Therefore, I am from the
    Ewing clan of Ireland with ancestral ties with
    Scotland and England. I am Irish-Catholic,
    female, mother, grandmother, teacher researching
    Indigenous issues in Education.
  • Kym Anderson 22 years old, Indigenous woman from
    red desert country, with a mixed heritage of
    Finnish European and Aboriginal bloodlines. A
    descendant of the Yindindji and Ngawun nations,
    and was born and raised on Kalkadoon country, in
    the mining town of Mount Isa, left after high
    school to pursue tertiary studies.
  • Susan Willsteed non-Indigenous, Irish Catholic,
    late baby-boomer, female, mother, teacher, 20
    years involvement with Indigenous people and
    researching Indigenous issues and my own cultural
    position.

5
Synopsis
  • This project focuses on the transitions of
    Indigenous students into university. In
    particular, it focuses on enhancing and improving
    the first four weeks of the students
    (undergraduate and postgraduate) first year at
    QUT, in the Faculty of Education.
  • The study builds on from a pilot program,
    conducted in the Faculty and in conjunction with
    the Oodgeroo Unit, in the previous two years
    which sought to bring students together in a
    formal pre-orientation program full day workshop
    and an informal workshop in week four to discuss
    their transitional experiences. In the workshops
    opportunities were provided whereby students
    could raise any concerns and or issues related to
    their initial experiences.

6
Objectives of the project
  • To complement the Oodgeroo Units Pre-orientation
    program and provide a Faculty of Education
    specific pre-orientation day that encompasses
    Indigenous perspectives in formal education
  • To provide four bridging contact workshops in the
    first four weeks of the students transitional
    experiences. The workshops will be designed to
    assist students with navigating the formal
    context of academia in the Faculty a time of
    substantial change that is coupled with
    developing a sense of belonging and moving from
    peripheral participation to active participation
    in education studies and addressing individual
    issues as they arise in the first four weeks
  • To work towards improving the retention of
    Indigenous students, who undergo substantial
    change and adjustment as they navigate into
    academia in the Faculty.

7
Revised approach using weekly online discussion
forums
  • Sought to identify from students experiences the
    barriers and protective factors that influenced
    their transitional experiences in QUT and the
    Faculty of Education courses.

8
What the literature tells
  • Indigenous students experience culture shock as
    they transition into higher education
  • Refers to the process of crosscultural location
    and is precipitated by the anxiety that results
    from losing all familiar signs and symbols of
    social intercourse (Sonn, Bishop Humphries,
    2000, p. 130)
  • Impact of relocation can be mild disorientation,
    bewilderment, anxiety and physical health
    problems
  • Cultural identity is made salient because of
    increasing contact with white people after moving
    from a segregated context. The move from rural
    and remote to metropolitan areas adds another
    dimension to the transition experience because of
    differences in social and community structures
  • Impact of the transitional process challenges
    deep cultural structures because Indigenous
    students cultural systems are intertwined with
    the land. Relocation presents challenges to
    cultural systems that are defined in term of
    connections to the land and Aboriginal ways
    (Triandies, 1996 cited by Sonn, Bishop
    Humphries, 2000).

9
  • Support systems play a vital role in enabling
    Indigenous students to successfully negotiate
    their pathways through education institutions
    (Helme, 2007).
  • The functions of social support systems enable
    Indigenous students to come together and to
    validate and share experiences with others who
    have similar histories providing opportunities
    for members to experience a sense of self-worth,
    dignity, and a sense of belonging.
  • Community support for students was identified as
    important. The move from remote or rural areas
    imposes huge cultural leaps for some students
    therefore connecting with local Indigenous
    communities was found to be important (Kippen,
    Ward Warren, 2006)
  • A crucial issue for Indigenous students was the
    support of their family. Family
    support/dependence on students to provide
    financial or practical support requires them to
    work full-time and/or to care for both older and
    younger members of the family (Kippen, Ward
    Warren, 2006).

10
Cultural safety (Bin-Sallik, 2003) was identified
as an essential component of a supportive
environment. Williams (1999, p. 214) describes
cultural safety as an environment that is
spiritually, socially and emotionally safe, as
well as physically safe for people where there
is no assault challenge or denial of their
identity, of who they are and what they need. It
is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared
knowledge and experience of learning
together. Whilst cultural awareness and cultural
sensitivity may be supported by many
universities, culturally safe learning
environments are needed to address underlying and
subtle racism. There is an urgent need for
long-term strategic planning to develop
curricula that incorporate cultural,
contemporary and historical issues from the
Indigenous Australian perspective. Such curricula
would need to be developed in such a way that is
sensitive to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous
Australians that will lead to a better
understanding and acceptance. (Bin-Sallik, 2003,
p. 27)

11
Legitimate peripheral participation
  • In this case, learning the knowledge and skills
    required to actively engage in the learning
    process attenuated conditions of legitimate
    peripheral participation (Lave Wenger, 1991).
    This idea indicates a particular form of
    engagement of the learner who participates in the
    practices of an expert, but only to a limited
    degree and with limited responsibility for the
    ultimate product as a whole (Lave Wenger, 1991,
    p. 14).
  • Moving towards full participation infers that the
    student has a reason to believe that what they
    are learning can make a difference (Wenger, 1998
    Sinclair, 2004). They also learn that they can
    contribute to their learning and that such
    contributions are important for learning to occur.

12
  • Peripheral participation can be a source of power
    or of powerlessness (Lave Wenger, 1991). It is
    implicated in social structures such as
    universities and classrooms and involves
    relations of power
  • the newcomer is exposed to the practices of that
    community and the manner of its articulation, and
    hence over time, engages with it, ultimately
    participating more fully (Lave Wenger, 1991)
  • movement towards becoming more intensive
    participatory member of a community,
    peripherality can be empowering
  • They are provided with access to the communitys
    members, their negotiated enterprise and their
    repertoire of resources.
  • This initial degree of participation could end in
    exclusion, however. If over time, a student is
    kept from participating more fully in a
    community, it becomes disempowering
  • unable to make sense of the content to which they
    are exposed they are less likely to develop or
    obtain effective explanations of what is going
    on
  • If they cannot negotiate meanings or receive
    adequate support for their learningthis lack of
    understanding and their ineffective participation
    becomes a relation of marginality (Wenger,
    1998, pp. 166-167)
  • consequently, and because of the practices of
    that classroom, they may remain in marginal
    positions
  • This experience becomes so dominant that
    conceiving of a different trajectory within the
    same community (p. 167) becomes difficult or
    impossible.

13
Participants
  • First year Faculty of Education students (early
    childhood, primary, secondary and double-degree)
    to document their first four weeks at QUT as part
    of the "First Four Weeks" Project.
  • Sample N15
  • Discussion Forum Respondents N6
  • Survey N1

14
Data Collection
  • Discussion forum
  • Series of questions staggered over 5 week was
    chosen as the most appropriate way to obtain the
    information needed for this study (Minichiello,
    Aroni, Timewell Alexander, 1995) on issues for
    which there were no correct responses. Here the
    content of the interview focused on the issues
    central to the research questions. In being able
    to pursue unexpected detail, the researchers
    could develop a more valid explication and a
    greater depth of understanding of the
    participants interpretations of their reality
    (Minichiello, et al., 1995)
  • Survey
  • - At the completion of the five weeks to
    identify any further issues of significance that
    were not evident in the discussion forum.

15
Methodologies
  • Indigenist methodologies
  • Culturally safe and culturally respectful
  • Emancipatory
  • Privileges Indigenous voices (Beetson et al.
    2007)
  • Critical Discourse Analysis
  • CDA begins from some perception of a
    discourse-related problem in some part of social
    life. Problems may be in the activities of social
    practice (Chouliaraki Fairclough, 1999, p.
    60).
  • It chooses the perspectives of those who suffer
    most (van Dijk, 2001).
  • It focuses on issues of social importance, in
    particular, those that contribute to reducing
    harm and promoting social justice (Wodak, 2001).
  • It is concerned with finding ways of redressing
    these issues (Martin, 2000).
  • This approach is seen as positive in that it
    gives voice to those in less powerful positions
    (Martin, 2003).

16
The forum
  • Posting did not take place until week two of
    semester one, this provided time to properly
    develop the forum questions and tailor them, this
    project was designed to engage in an online
    conversation with students and get them to
    participate and share their experiences as first
    year students here at QUT.
  • I took the position and conversed with students
    as if I was still in my undergrad struggling
    alongside with them.
  • Cultural Issues to minimise and hopefully
    avoid misrepresentation, interpretations and
    assumptions made of Indigenous ways of knowing,
    research approaches and methodologies that
    include participants in the research process, are
    the key (Adermann Campbell, p76).

17
First Round of Posting
  • Now that you have been at university for two
    weeks, how would you best describe the way you
    are balancing university with your home life?
  • What are your concerns or problems that you feel
    might arise during your time at university in the
    near future? (For example, time constraints or
    assessment deadlines, please elaborate)
  • Since beginning your studies, can you describe
    any situations that have made you feel
    uncomfortable? What did you do to resolve them?
    (e.g., problems with group communication)
  • If you had an opportunity to share your current
    skills with other students that experience
    similar difficulties in their first year, what
    would you let them know?
  • Balancing Home and Uni Life
  • Key themes presented were prioritising
    time-management between home-study-work
    orientation not having familiar faces being an
    external student

18
  • The first round of questions allowed the students
    to reflect on their experience with prioritising,
    time-management between home-study-work,
    orientation, and not having familiar faces to
    feel comfortable around and being part of a
    community
  • I guess the disadvantage of doing the course
    externally (teaching) is the lack of contact and
    being unable to have face to face talks (Email
    Extract, 15 March 2008)
  • Culture shock and relocation is precipitated by
    anxiety that results from limited or no access to
    familiar signs and symbols experienced through
    involvement in social contexts (Sonn, Bishop
    Humphries, 2000 Oberg, 1960)
  • I am finally getting used to everything and am no
    longer getting lost. (Discussion forum, Jessica)
  • Being at uni everyday doesnt help the balance
    between my life outside of uni, also working
    every weekend makes it hard. However acquiring
    excellent time management skills is something
    Ive learnt to do very quickly. (Discussion
    forum, Stacey)
  • For many people who come straight from school,
    the work force or stay at home parents, it is
    such a culture shock, scores of people dont make
    it as far as the end of the first semester
    (Discussion forum, Thomas).
  • Legitimate peripheral participation (Lave
    Wenger, 1991)
  • Im not at home that much... Im always at Uni, I
    come early in the morning to start on
    Assignments. Then during the day I have classes
    or Tutor lessons - I have classes every day of
    the week. (Discussion forum, Nola)

19
Second Round of Posting
  • Now that it is week four, we would like to find
    out a bit more about different types of support
    that you have. What kinds of support do you
    receive? (Family, or through uni like ITAS or
    Scholarships).
  • How do you think that these types of supports are
    benefitting you and will benefit you and your
    study?
  • Do you receive ITAS tutoring? If not, what do
    you think has prevented you from doing so?
    (Limited access to information, not enough
    contact with the Oodgeroo Unit etc).
  • This question relates to those students who are
    receiving ITAS assistance. Since beginning uni,
    and now that we are in week four, how long have
    you been accessing tutoring? What have you found
    that is helping you with your units/core subjects
    of study?
  • If you had the opportunity to suggest types of
    support for students, and ways that we could
    improve them, what would you suggest?
  • community benefit should be considered and
    subsequently inform design, conduct and
    evaluation (Vicary Bishop 2005 cited in
    Adermann Campbell, p77), where good practice
    in Indigenous research is based upon building
    quality relationships with participants who are
    seen as being partners in the research (Adermann
    Campbell, p77).

20
  • The responses received from this round of
    questions were limited in the diversity of
    participants, however it still allows for some
    insight into what students feel are their
    greatest supports and stressors, there are only
    a few more weeks until assignments a due (Online
    Forum, 4 April 2008), and uni is starting to
    get a bit hectic (Online Forum, 4 April 2008).
  • Support systems - The functions of a support
    system can include coming together to validate
    and share experiences with others who have
    experienced a similar history (Helme, 2007
    (Kippen, Ward Warren, 2006)
  • I would let them know that even though Uni life
    is difficult in most areas, its best to hang in
    there because there is are others who are
    facing the same challenges and they dont have to
    go through them alone... there is a lot of
    support. You just have to use it!! (Discussion
    forum, Nola)
  • If I met a first year student not going through
    these rough patches trying to find there feet in
    the first couple of weeks I want to know how they
    do it!! But for all those normal people, there is
    a variety of people out there wanting you to
    succeed and be successful, you just need to ask
    and be willing to take the help from others when
    it is offered, dont feel stupid if you need that
    help its all apart of learning. (Discussion
    forum, Stacey)

21
  • This form of communication can be beneficial to
    students as they are given the opportunity to
    really develop and reflect on their way of
    knowing, learning and doing.
  • Cultural safety is identified as essential for
    incoming students. That is, a learning
    environment that is spiritually, socially and
    emotionally safe and where there is no denial of
    their identity, of who they are and what they
    need. It is about shared respect, shared
    knowledge and experience of learning together
    (Bin-Sallik, 2003 William, 1999) .
  • I receive support from my family, people I met on
    orientation day and thankfully ITAS. (Discussion
    forum, Stacey)
  • I think what makes it worse, particularly for
    students straight out of high school is
    the knowledge that you are left on your own to
    work many things out for yourself, and that
    whenever you ring the student centre for help,
    the standard response for any question is "its on
    the net on the QUT website". Thanks for that, Im
    totally new to uni and have no idea whats going
    on, but ill be sure to spend hours looking for a
    needle in a hay stack. (Discussion forum, Thomas)

22
Conclusions
  • Challenges for students
  • Relocation physically, socially, culturally
  • Family responsibilities
  • Learning environment not culturally safe
  • Lack of study skills

23
The way forward
  • Continue, and expand, faculty support of
    Indigenous students.
  • University-funded preparation and mentoring
    programmes
  • Fully implement commitments of Reconciliation
    statement

24
  • References
  • Andermann, J., Campbell, M. (2007). Big worry
    Implications of anxiety in Indigenous education.
    The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education,
    36, 74-80.
  • Beetson, S. J., Tyhuis, A., Willsteed, S.,
    McLaughlin, J., Whatman, S. (2007). ITAS in a
    virtual environment - quality and efficiacy in
    Indigenous tertiary student support. The
    Australian Journal of Indigenous Education
    Supplementary, 36.
  • Bin-Sallik, M. (2003). Cultural safety Let's
    name it! The Australian Journal of Indigenous
    Education, 32, 21-28.
  • Helme, S. (2007). From the sidelines to the
    centre Indigenous support units in vocational
    education and training. Journal of vocational
    education and training, 59(4), 451-466.
  • Kippen, S., Ward, B., Warren, L. (2006).
    Enhancing Indigenous participation in higher
    education health courses in rural Victoria,
    Australian Journal of Indigenous Education (pp.
    1-10).
  • Lave, J., Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning
    Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge
    Cambridge University Press.
  • Martin, J. R. (2000). Close reading functional
    linguistics as a tool for critical discourse
    analysis. In L. Unsworth (Ed.), Researching
    language in schools and communities (pp.
    275-302). London Cassell.
  • Martin, J. R. (2003). Voicing the 'Other'
    Reading and writing Indigenous Australians. In R.
    W. G. Weiss (Ed.), Critical discourse analysis
    Theory and interdisciplinarity (pp. 199-222).
    Hampshire Palgrave MacMillan.
  • Martin, K. (2008). Please know before you enter
    Aboriginal regulation of Outsiders and the
    implications for researchers. Brisbane
    PostPressed.
  • Minichiello, V., Aroni, R., Timewell, E.
    Alexander, L. (1995). In-depth interviewing (2nd
    ed.). Melbourne Longman.
  • Moreton-Robinson, A. (2000). Talkin up to the
    white women Indigenous women and feminism. St
    Lucia, Brisbane University of Queensland Press.
  • Nakata, M. (2007). The Cultural Interface. The
    Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 36,
    7-14.
  • Oberg, K. (1960). Culture shock Adjustment to
    new cultural environments. Practicum
    anthropology, 7, 177-182.
  • Sinclair, R. (2004). Participation in practice
    Making it meaningful, effective and sustainable.
    Children and Society, 18(2004), 106-118.
  • Sonn, C., Bishop, B., Humphries, R. (2000).
    Encounters with the dominant culture Voices of
    Indigenous students in mainstream higher
    education., Australian Psychologist (Vol. 35, pp.
    128-135).
  • Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice
    Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge
    Cambridge University Press.
  • William, R. (1999). Cultural safety - what does
    it mean for our work practice? Australian and New
    Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23(2), 213-214.
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