Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-16T10:34:46.732Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Aboriginal student engagement and success in Kimberley tertiary education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2021

John Guenther Open the ORCID record for John Guenther [Opens in a new window] ,
Anna Dwyer ,
Sandra Wooltorton Open the ORCID record for Sandra Wooltorton [Opens in a new window]  and
Judith Wilks
John Guenther*
Affiliation:
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Darwin, Northern Territory0810, Australia
Anna Dwyer
Affiliation:
Nulungu Research Institute, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Broome Campus, PO Box 2287, Broome, Western Australia6725, Australia
Sandra Wooltorton
Affiliation:
Nulungu Research Institute, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Broome Campus, PO Box 2287, Broome, Western Australia6725, Australia
Judith Wilks
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales2480, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: John Guenther, E-mail: john.guenther@batchelor.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Over recent years, considerable effort has been put into increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) participation in higher education. While there are signs that enrolments are increasing, the sustained engagement and successful completion of higher education remains challenging, particularly in remote locations. With this in mind, a collaborative research project among researchers from three northern Australian tertiary education institutions was designed to understand student perspectives, particularly from remote contexts, about their engagement and success towards completion in higher education. Based on a qualitative research design situating Indigenist/interpretive research within a critical realism metatheory, we present findings from the study, based in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and unpack implications for higher education provision in remote contexts. The findings point to the unique challenges faced by students who live in the Kimberley—and perhaps in other remote locations around Australia. In order to meet these needs, we suggest that tertiary education providers must tailor provision to ensure that engagement with Aboriginal students is relational and culturally safe.

Keywords

Cultural safetyIndigenous student engagementred dirt thinkingremote educationsuccessful transitionstertiary education
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 50 , Issue 2 , December 2021 , pp. 265 - 273
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ABS (2018 a) 2016 Census—counting persons, place of usual residence. Retrieved January 2018, from Australian Bureau of Statistics. http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/tablebuilder?opendocument&navpos=240.Google Scholar
ABS (2018 b, 18/09/2018) 3238.0.55.001 – Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2016. Retrieved April 2020. Available at https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3238.0.55.001Main+Features1June%202016?OpenDocument.Google Scholar
ABS (2018 c) Australian Statistics Geography Standard (ASGS) Remoteness Structure. Retrieved May 2018, from Retrieved 24 May 2019. Available at http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/remoteness+structure.Google Scholar
Ackehurst, M, Polvere, R-A and Windley, G (2017) Indigenous Participation in VET: Understanding the Research. Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education Research.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (2012) Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies. Revised 2nd Edition ed. Canberra: AIATSIS. Retrieved June 2014. Available at http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/_files/research/GERAIS.pdf.Google Scholar
Battiste, M (2013) Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit. Saskatoon: Purich Publishing Limited.Google Scholar
Bawaka Country, Wright, S, Suchet-Pearson, S, Lloyd, K, Burarrwanga, L, Ganambarr, R, Ganambarr-Stubbs, M, Ganambarr, B, Maymuru, D and Sweeney, J (2016) Co-becoming Bawaka: towards a relational understanding of place/space. Progress in Human Geography 40, 455–475. doi: 10.1177/0309132515589437.Google Scholar
Behrendt, L, Larkin, S, Griew, R and Kelly, P (2012) Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Final Report. Available at https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review_final_report_2012.pdf.Google Scholar
Bhaskar, R, Danermark, B and Price, L (2017) Interdisciplinarity and Wellbeing: A Critical Realist General Theory of Interdisciplinarity. London: Routledge Ltd.10.4324/9781315177298CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coffin, J (2008) Embedding cultural security in bullying prevention research. Manifestation: Journal of Community Engaged Research and Learning Partnerships 1, 66–81.Google Scholar
Craven, R (2012) Seeding success: Getting started teaching Aboriginal studies effectively. In Beresford, Q, Partington, G and Gower, G (eds), Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal Education, Fully revised edition. Crawley: University of Western Australia Press, pp. 335–378.Google Scholar
Davey, F, Carter, M, Marshall, M, Morris, W, Golson, K, Torres, P, … O'Byrne-Bowland, R (2019) Kimberley Aboriginal Caring for Culture Initial Consultation Report—2019: Initial Consultation Report. Fitzroy Crossing: Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Cultural Centre. Retrieved May 2020. Available at http://kalacc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Kimberley-Aboriginal-Caring-for-Culture-Consultation-Report.pdf.Google Scholar
Freire, P (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Guenther, J, Disbray, S and Osborne, S (2015) Building on ‘red dirt’ perspectives: what counts as important for remote education? Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 44, 194–206, Article measure of success determines how teaching and policy interventions should be delivered.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guenther, J, Bat, M, Stephens, A, Skewes, J, Boughton, B, Williamson, F, Wooltorton, S, Marshall, M and Dwyer, A (2017 a) Enhancing training advantage for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners (9781925173840). Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education and Research. https://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/publications/all-publications/enhancing-training-advantage-for-remote-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-learners.Google Scholar
Guenther, J, Disbray, S, Benveniste, T and Osborne, S (2017 b) ‘Red dirt’ schools and pathways into higher education. In Frawley, J, Larkin, S and Smith, JA (eds), Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education: From Policy to Practice. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 251–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4062-7_15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guenther, J, McRae-Williams, E, Osborne, S and Williams, E (2018). Decolonising colonial education researchers in ‘near remote’ parts of Australia. In Vass, G, Maxwell, J, Rudolph, S and Gulson, KN (eds), The Relationality of Race in Education Research. Taylor & Francis, pp. 108–119.Google Scholar
Harmin, M, Barrett, MJ and Hoessler, C (2017) Stretching the boundaries of transformative sustainability learning: on the importance of decolonizing ways of knowing and relations with the more-than-human. Environmental Education Research 23, 1489–1500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hattam, R (2018) Diversity, global citizenship and the culturally responsive school. In Davies, I, Ho, L-C, Kiwan, D, Peck, CL, Peterson, A, Sant, E and Waghid, Y (eds), The Palgrave Handbook of Global Citizenship and Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 257–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogarth, M (2017) Speaking back to the deficit discourses: a theoretical and methodological approach. The Australian Educational Researcher 44, 21–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kickett-Tucker, C, Bessarab, D, Coffin, J, Wright, M and Gooda, M (eds). (2017) Mia Mia Aboriginal Community Development: Fostering Cultural Security. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kinnane, S, Wilks, J, Wilson, K, Hughes, T and Thomas, S (2014) ‘Can't be what you can't see’: the transition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students into higher education. Retrieved from https://www.notredame.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/2882/SI11-2138-OLT-Final-Report-FINAL-Web.pdf.Google Scholar
McKnight, A (2016) Meeting Country and Self to Initiate an Embodiment of Knowledge: Embedding a Process for Aboriginal Perspectives. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 45, 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2016.10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, C (2005) Aspects of Training That Meet Indigenous Australians’ Aspirations: A Systematic Review of Research. Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Retrieved December 2008. Available at http://www.ncver.edu.au/statistics/surveys/indig/sysreview/sr4002.pdf.Google Scholar
Moodie, N, Ewen, S, McLeod, J and Platania-Phung, C (2018) Indigenous graduate research students in Australia: a critical review of the research. Higher Education Research & Development 37, 805–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakata, M (2007) An Indigenous Standpoint Theory. Canberra, ACT: Aboriginal Studies Press, pp. 213–217.Google Scholar
Nakata, M, Nakata, V, Keech, S and Bolt, R (2012) Decolonial goals and pedagogies for Indigenous studies. Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society 1, 120–140.Google Scholar
National Centre for Vocational Education Research (2020) VOCSTATS. Available at http://vocstats.ncver.edu.au/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml.Google Scholar
Nulungu Research Institute (2016) The Nulungu way. Retrieved 18 September 2017. Available at https://www.nd.edu.au/research/nulungu/the-Nulungu-way.Google Scholar
Oakes, J, Lipton, M, Anderson, L and Stillman, J (2013) Teaching to Change the World, 4th Edn. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.Google Scholar
Ober, R and Bat, M (2007) Paper 1: both-ways: the philosophy. Ngoonjook: Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues 31, 64–86.Google Scholar
Oliver, R, Grote, E, Rochecouste, J and Dann, T (2016) Indigenous student perspectives on support and impediments at university. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 45, 23–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osborne, S and Guenther, J (2013) Red dirt thinking on aspiration and success. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 42, 88–99.10.1017/jie.2013.17CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pollard, L (2018) Remote Student University Success: An Analysis of Policy and Practice. Bentley: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. Retrieved August 2018. Available at https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/LouisePollard_FellowshipReport_FINAL_Small.pdf.Google Scholar
Raciti, M, Carter, J, Gilbey, K and Hollinsworth, D (2017) The ‘University Place’: How and Why Place Influences the Engagement and Retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander University Students. E-booklet. Canberra: Department of Education and Training. Available at https://ltr.edu.au/resources/SD15-5165_FinalReport.pdf.Google Scholar
Rigney, L-I (2017) A design and evaluation framework for Indigenisation of Australian universities. In Frawley, J, Larkin, S and Smith, JA (eds), Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education: From Policy to Practice. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 45–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherwood, J and Russell-Mundine, G (2017) How we do business: setting the agenda for cultural competence at the University of Sydney. In Frawley, J, Larkin, S and Smith, JA (eds), Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education: From Policy to Practice. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 133–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, JA, Larkin, S, Yibarbuk, D and Guenther, J (2017) What Do We Know About Community Engagement in Indigenous Education Contexts and How Might This Impact on Pathways into Higher Education? In Frawley, J, Larkin, S and Smith, JA (eds), Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education: From Policy to Practice. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 31–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4062-7_3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Street, C, Smith, J, Robertson, K, Guenther, J, Motlap, S, Ludwig, W, Woodroffe, T, Gillan, K, Ober, R, Larkin, S, Shannon, V and Hill, G (2020) Exploring definitions of success in Northern Territory Indigenous higher education policy. Journal of Educational Administration and History 52, 323–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2020.1719391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uibo, M (1993) The Development of Batchelor College 1972–1990: An Historical Account (Masters of Education). Northern Territory University.Google Scholar
Universities Australia (2017) Indigenous Strategy 2017–2020. Available at https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/Media-and-Events/submissions-and-reports/Indigenous-Strategy.Google Scholar
Universities Australia (2019) Universities Australia Indigenous Strategy First Annual Report. Canberra: Universities Australia. Available at https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/ArticleDocuments/1060/20190304%20Final%20Indigenous%20Strategy%20Report%20v2.pdf.aspx.Google Scholar
Wain, T, Sim, M, Bessarab, D, Mak, D, Hayward, C and Rudd, C (2016). Engaging Australian Aboriginal narratives to challenge attitudes and create empathy in health care: a methodological perspective. BMC Medical Education 16. doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0677-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilks, J, Wilson, K and Kinnane, S (2017) Promoting engagement and success at university through strengthening the online learning experiences of indigenous students living and studying in remote communities. In Frawley, J, Larkin, S and Smith, JA (eds), Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation in Higher Education: From Policy to Practice. Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 211–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, L, Bunda, T, Claxton, N and MacKinnon, I (2018) A global de-colonial praxis of sustainability—undoing epistemic violences between Indigenous peoples and those no longer Indigenous to place. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 47, 41–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woldeyes, Y and Offord, B (2018) Decolonizing human rights education: critical pedagogy praxis in higher education. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives 17, 24–36.Google Scholar
Zembylas, M and Keet, A (2019) Critical Human Rights Education: Advancing Social-Justice-Oriented Educational Praxes. Cham: Springer International Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar