Inclusion/exclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students: Understanding how ‘We’ matters

Catherine M Demosthenous

doi:10.36251/josi.43

Abstract

The inclusion of Indigenous people in universities is an important policy issue, as evidenced by the Review of Higher Education and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is currently underway. While the Review aims to collectively address access and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in universities to ensure parity in the sector, a key contributor to those outcomes is that of participation. This article examines a focus group interaction in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are yarning about their experiences of participating in university life, using Ethnomethodology (EM) and its analytic methods. Premised on the understanding that language is action, the study examines the students’ use of personal pronouns and particularly the first person pronoun ‘we’, using the inclusive/exclusive distinction. Applying this pronominal system here provides insights into the notion of inclusion/exclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian higher education, and for understanding how ‘we’ matter(s) in everyday university life.

Highlights

The inclusion of Indigenous people in universities is an important policy issue, as evidenced by the Review of Higher Education and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is currently underway
These performance indicators are determined by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), and are considered in relation to the indicator of equality between Indigenous and domestic students within Australia
This small scale study drew on EM’s analytic methods to explore an interaction in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were discussing their experiences of everyday university life

Summary

Brief Background on Indigenous Higher Education

The first Australian university began operations in the mid-1800s, it was not until the advent of mass higher education in the 1970s that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were given access to higher education institutions; in line with the social progressive ‘Australian discourse of the “fair go”’ (Augoustinos, Tuffin, & Rapley, 1999, p. 353). These performance indicators are determined by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), and are considered in relation to the indicator of equality between Indigenous and domestic students within Australia. These are 2.5% for the access and participation rates and 1.0% for the retention and success rates

Success rate

Discussion

Conclusion

Biographical Notes