non-Indigenous Students Research Articles

Building Bridges: Catalyzing Institutional Change at Utah State University via Experiential Learning with Ute and Navajo Students

This article presents the development, implementation, and impact of a cultural competence course initiated by the Mentoring and Encouraging Academic Success (MESAS) Program at Utah State University (USU). The MESAS Program supports American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students through various initiatives, including the Faculty Advocate initiative, talking circles, the Indigenous Knowledge Symposium, and the Native American Living/Learning Community. Under MESAS, the cultural competence course aims to enhance appreciation among faculty, staff, and non-Indigenous students for the contributions of Native American and other underrepresented groups, while addressing institutional barriers to their academic success and social well-being. The course has been adapted for faculty, staff, and graduate students involved in roles such as summer research mentoring and emphasizing the importance of cultural sensitivity in creating a supportive environment for Native American students, particularly those transitioning between campuses. The article also highlights a case study of a USU professor who applied the course's teachings in interactions with students from the Ute Tribe and Navajo Nation, illustrating the practical application of Culturally Responsive Teaching practices and the Funds of Knowledge framework. Overall, the study highlights the course's positive impact on fostering inclusive teaching practices and deepening relationships with Native American students. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on integrating cultural competence in higher education to enhance the experiences of underrepresented student populations.

Indigenous students' experiences of being taught indigenous health

BackgroundIncreasing the numbers of Indigenous health professionals is an international priority to enhance health outcomes for Indigenous communities. It is also incumbent on academics to ensure all graduates are culturally safe to work with Indigenous Peoples, and that accredited health degrees contain appropriate Indigenous content, improving the cultural competence of the registered health workforce. However, little current research investigates Indigenous tertiary students' experiences of learning about Indigenous health. AimTo explore Indigenous students' experiences of being taught Indigenous health. DesignThis study employed an online survey (16 % response rate) developed to evaluate student's beliefs, attitudes and learning experiences following operationalisation of a university Indigenous Graduate Attribute. An Aboriginal researcher also conducted Yarning Circles with Indigenous students as a culturally appropriate means to deepen insight into their experiences of studying Indigenous health topics alongside non-Indigenous peers. SettingA large urban Australian university. ParticipantsTwelve Indigenous students from four health disciplines completed the anonymous survey. Five Indigenous midwifery students participated in a Yarning Circle. MethodsSurvey data were analysed descriptively using SPSS version 27. Qualitative data from Yarning Circle transcripts were analysed thematically from an inductive Indigenous standpoint. ResultsResults from the survey demonstrated unanimous agreement that all health students should learn about Indigenous Peoples' health and cultures. However, most participants agreed that there needed to be more content on Indigenous knowledges, derived from Indigenous authors, researchers, and community presenters.The Yarning Circle yielded rich discussion of students' experiences, explored across three key themes and associated sub-themes. Themes were: When your culture is content; Being an Indigenous student; and Sources of strength and support as Indigenous students. ConclusionsFindings indicate the importance of framing Indigenous content, incorporating Indigenous knowledge into curricula, ensuring Cultural Safety in classrooms with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and supporting Indigenous students to excel.

The Multidimensional Student Well-being (MSW) instrument: Conceptualisation, measurement, and differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous primary and secondary students

Enabling children’s and youth’s well-being is widely valued by families and communities worldwide. However, there is no general agreement about the structure and measurement of well-being in schooling contexts, nor in particular for Indigenous students who comprise some of the most educationally disadvantaged populations in the world. We theorised a multidimensional student well-being model and the Multidimensional Student Well-being (MSW) instrument, grounded on recent research. We investigated its structure, measurement, and relation to correlates of well-being for a matched sample of 1,405 Australian students (Indigenous, N = 764; non-Indigenous, N = 641) at three time-points, 10–12 months apart. Analyses supported an a priori multidimensional model of 6 higher-order domains of well-being, represented by 15 first-order factors. This structure was invariant across Indigenous and non-Indigenous, male and female, and primary and secondary schooling levels. Correlates provided support for convergent and discriminant validity. There was a downward trend in well-being over time, which calls for attention to multidimensional domains of students’ well-being to promote healthy development throughout school life and beyond. The results support a multidimensional model of student well-being appropriate for primary and secondary schooling and both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

“We Need to Run Our Own Communities”

Australian Indigenous student participation rates in higher education are consistently lower than non-Indigenous students, especially in remote contexts. This has manifested in the usurpation of remote Aboriginal community control by ‘more qualified’ external staff. Here we present a reflexive assessment of the development, delivery, outcomes and challenges of the Wuyagiba Bush Uni that was designed to address the paucity of university education in remote Aboriginal communities of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. From 2018 to 2022, 66 Indigenous students graduated with Wuyagiba Micro-credentials (accredited by Macquarie University), and 28 students proceeded to enrol in Bachelor level degrees at Macquarie University in Sydney, with the first graduate in 2023. Furthermore, the Wuyagiba model has created a successful remote Indigenous business that employs about 50 local Indigenous people annually and is working towards empowering endogenous community development in remote Arnhem Land. Nevertheless, many challenges remain including sustainable funding, remote service delivery, university and bureaucratic structural barriers, and lateral violence in remote communities. Several enabling factors of success are identified, such as the cross-cultural curriculum, strong Indigenous control and leadership, wrap-around support, and longstanding relationships between University staff and community leaders. Such reflections can be used by other remote Aboriginal communities who wish to replicate this model or create their own on-Country higher education programs to empower locally trained leaders of the future.

Evidence-Based Program Implementation Variability in New Contexts: The Head Start REDI Program

AbstractThis study involved a pilot implementation of an evidence based school readiness intervention in new community contexts. The Head Start Research Based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) program was implemented in preschools on and near a Native American reservation with both indigenous and non-indigenous students and teachers. The REDI curriculum involved 5 subcomponents targeting children’s literacy skills and social-emotional development. Teachers were provided with inperson and on-line training and in-person implementation support from a REDI coach. Implementation fidelity included ratings of of curriculum dosage and child engagement, as well as coach ratings of teaching quality using a modified version of the Classroom Assessment Scoring Scale (CLASS). Teachers indicated which adaptations they made to the curriculum and the reasons for these adaptations. Teachers also completed qualitative, post-implementation interviews to obtain their impressions of REDI and the need for planned modifications in their context. Analyses included measures of implementation fidelity and qualitative evaluation of adaptations. Results indicated that teachers found the REDI program both feasible and helpful for their students. Suggestions for planned adaptations included more STEM activities and the freedom to choose the dialogic reading books. Many spontaneous adaptations were noted. Teachers indicated that pragmatic issues, such as lack of time, were the main reasons for adapting the program, and deletions and substitutions of curricular activities were the most common types of changes. Implementation of program subcomponents improved gradually over the course of the school year. Some subcomponents were more likely to be adapted than others.

Patterns of educational performance among Indigenous students in Australia, 2010–2019: Within-cohort, peer matching analysis for data-led decision-making

Data reporting in the Australian education system produces deficit-based comparisons of academic achievement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Since 2009, data from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) have been used by the Australian government to allow it to report on ‘Closing the Gap’ policy. These data are used to justify government-funded initiatives designed to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students. While the logic of this approach has political cachet, the ‘gaps’ have persisted. Instead, we propose using ‘within-cohort, peer matching’ quantitative methods to achieve such aspirational goals. Using publicly available NAPLAN data, we examined patterns of relative performance within the cohort of Indigenous students. We assessed trends in Indigenous students’ performance in NAPLAN relative to their Indigenous peers across grades (3, 5, 7, and 9), states and territories, remoteness categories, and calendar years from 2010 to 2019 inclusive. Key insights available through this approach include detailed patterns of higher and lower relative performance for Indigenous students within matched remoteness categories, across states and territories, and over time, laying the groundwork for further analyses of the local, systemic, and school-level factors associated with these differing outcomes. Our methods provide novel findings that justify changing the deficit assumption, supporting the use of within-cohort peer matching instead.

Towards Defining Threshold Concepts for Decolonizing Engineering

The Calls to Action published by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada express a need for post-secondary institutions to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into the classroom. In response, engineering programs across Canada have started to explore what decolonization and Indigenization might look like in the context of engineering education. Moodie [20] has theorized five threshold concepts that may be useful for understanding learning in the context of Indigenous Studies for non-Indigenous students and faculty. This paper presents an analysis of threshold concepts for student learning around decolonizing engineering, using secondary accounts of two engineering students’ experiences with Indigenous Knowledges and worldviews in an engineering classroom. We explore how incorporating Indigenous Knowledges in engineering education may require students to cross ontological and epistemological thresholds.

Ē-pī-wīcihtāsowin ahpō ē-pī-wīchisowin: non-indigenous learners in Indigenous language-learning spaces

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to ongoing conversations on the contextual differences and considerations between learning an Indigenous language as a member of an Indigenous nation or community and learning an Indigenous language as a non-Indigenous person (Albury, 2015; Berardi-Wiltshire & Bortolotto, 2022; May 2023; O’Toole, 2020; Te Huia, 2020). While we see value in considering how non-Indigenous Canadians can positively contribute to Indigenous language revitalization efforts, we also want to consider the consequences of that involvement for Indigenous Peoples who are asked to share Indigenous language learning spaces with non-Indigenous students. As a group of colleagues from different communities, all with connections to Indigenous language revitalization, we came together to consider questions such as: Are Indigenous languages for everyone or are they languages that should be learned only by Indigenous peoples? And if we accept or encourage Indigenous language learning by non-Indigenous Canadians, are there parameters that might need to be implemented? To this end, we used the Indigenous research method of conversation (Kovach, 2010) during biweekly meetings recorded on Zoom. Data consisted of meeting transcripts and web-based documents of written reflections. In our analysis of these documents, we identified three interrelated themes: 1) linguistic insecurity, 2) trauma and language learning and 3) settler dominance in Indigenous language settings. As a settler colonial country, Canada’s past and present continues to shape interactions between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians in ways relevant to the topic of Indigenous language revitalization. Ultimately, we do want non-Indigenous people to learn Indigenous languages so that these languages can once again be languages of broader society (McIvor, 2012). We also recognize that Indigenous Peoples deserve to reclaim Indigenous languages in safe and trauma-free ways. Ultimately, we must work together to ensure that including non-Indigenous learners in Indigenous language programs does not cause injury to Indigenous learners. This paper offers recommendations for ways to achieve these goals.

The importance of Indigenous centres/units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: ensuring connection and belonging to support university completion

ABSTRACT Indigenous student completion rates remain very low relative to non-Indigenous students. Some universities have higher Indigenous student completion rates than the national average but research-based evidence of these universities as ‘success models' is limited. Drawing on findings from interviews with Indigenous university graduates and staff as part of a National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) funded research project, this paper discusses findings relating to one success factor that supports Indigenous student completions: Indigenous centres/units as key places to build a sense of connection and belonging for Indigenous students. The paper discusses the importance of Indigenous centres/units in providing a space where Indigenous students can connect with each other, with staff, and with their own cultural identities. The paper then discusses the development of strategies that can be adopted by all universities across Australia to strengthen and improve the completion rates of Indigenous students.

First Peoples' perspectives on successful engagement at university: What keeps students coming back to Indigenous education units?

In this article, we present a case study of the nature of First Peoples’ engagement with the GUMURRII Student Success Unit at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Higher education plays a critical role in improving socioeconomic outcomes in First Peoples communities. Recent reports indicate First Peoples are still under-represented at university, with lower participation and higher attrition rates than non-Indigenous students. Previous studies indicate that engagement with Indigenous education units (IEU) improves student progression, retention and success; however, the specific nature of engagement with IEUs from the students’ perspectives has not been widely examined. We address a gap within the literature, seeking to better understand how support services are being contemporarily utilised by First Peoples students. By utilising an Indigenist research design, we offer an interpretation of the lived experiences of First Peoples students to better understand their reasons for engagement with IEUs, and to explore the impact upon their ongoing participation and outcomes in higher education. The findings contribute to broader understandings of the role of IEUs in higher education and illustrate that students engage with them for reasons that extend far beyond traditional tertiary support.

Teaching mathematics to all learners by tapping into indigenous legends: A pathway towards inclusive education

This study explored the use of Indigenous storytelling in the planning and teaching of mathematical content. In collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, a culturally inclusive mathematical lesson was developed, implemented, and reviewed in an elementary school in Northern Ontario. This study used a culturally authentic approach to address the current educational issue of diversity within the Ontario curriculum and education system. The results of this study suggested that utilizing Indigenous storytelling for teaching mathematical curricular expectations could benefit both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Storytelling can allow students to relate abstract mathematical concepts to their own lived experiences, to be exposed to diverse cultures, and to foster a positive and open learning environment that is conducive to academic and non-academic learning.

Mapping the Journey from the Head to the Heart: Actualizing Indigenization in the Health and Human Services Education

Camosun College’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation includes Indigenization. At the College, Indigenization means the world views of Indigenous students are reflected in curriculum practices and non-Indigenous students are prepared to build better relationships with Indigenous peoples. The College uses a number of models to support Indigenization including an Indigenized Quadrant Model based on Wilber’s (1997) Integral theory. This Model is used in this research study to inventory the Indigenization interventions and activities internal and external to the College and examine participation rates by non-Indigenous faculty. At the time of the study, respondents viewed the College as midway on its progress of Indigenization. The results suggest that developing a few activities across the four quadrants of the Model and leveraging relevant activities in the larger community may be sufficient to build an Indigenization program within a post-secondary institute. We also identified a need for more advanced training to support non-Indigenous faculty to fully Indigenize their teaching practices. The focus of this advanced training includes developing skills to address racism and confront privilege not only in their students but also their professions. For administrators wanting to actualize Indigenization, we recommend the continued alignment, monitoring, and measurement of the impacts of Indigenization activities and programs.

Are the school choices of indigenous students affected by discrimination? Evidence from Chile

ABSTRACT A common criticisms of school choice programs is that, instead of improving student achievement, they would increase school segregation. Parents may use different criteria to choose a school, such as proximity, school quality, or the school's ethnic/racial composition. As a result, the system would be segregated based on the parent's preferences. This research examines the school preferences of indigenous parents and whether ethnic discrimination influences their decision-making process. Longitudinal national-level data from Chile were analyzed using OLS with fixed effects. The results show that indigenous students, particularly those who have suffered ethnic discrimination in middle school, prefer high schools with a higher percentage of indigenous students. Furthermore, it was found that the level of acts of discrimination occurring in middle schools increases as the percentage of indigenous students rises. However, when the proportion of indigenous and non-indigenous students is similar, indigenous students are less likely to face discrimination.

Differences in body fractionation between indigenous and non-indigenous chilean schoolchildren

Introduction: The Mapuche is the most represented ethnic group (79.84%) among the eight native peoples of the Chilean indigenous population, however research examining body composition of aboriginal groups is scarce, including the Mapuche. Objective: To determine anthropometric and body fractionation differences between indigenous (Mapuche) and non-indigenous students in Chile. Methods: The sample included 151 indigenous students and 217 non-indigenous male students. Body fractionation was estimated using the protocol described by the International Society for the advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to estimate the statistical significance of differences between variables. Results: Mapuche children showed lower values for body weight (p < 0.01), height (p < 0.01) and all skinfolds, body perimeters and bone diameters evaluated compared to non-Mapuche, except for forearm circumference (p < 0.05) and transverse chest diameter (p < 0.05). Regarding body composition, the native students presented lower values of fat mass (p < 0.001), residual mass (p < 0.05) and epithelial mass (p < 0.05). However, they reach higher percentages for muscle mass (p < 0.01) and bone mass (p < 0.05) than non-indigenous students. Conclusions: Mapuche students present better scores for muscle and bone mass, while showing lower percentages of residual fat and epithelial mass with respect to non-Mapuche students from the same area of residence.

Examining non-Indigenous teacher perceptions of Indigenous students in Taiwan through a Strategic Relational Approach

This article examines non-Indigenous teachers’ expectations of, perceptions of, knowledge about, and attitudes towards Indigenous students in Taiwan using a Strategic Relational Approach. Drawing on survey data that combined Likert-scale responses with reflexive, open-ended questions, we found that whilst teacher survey responses indicated a normatively positive view of Indigenous students, this was troubled by their open-ended answer responses which included many negative perceptions of Indigenous students’ behaviours, family backgrounds, and capacity for educational achievement. We argue that this indicates an underlying tension held by non-Indigenous teachers of Indigenous students, constructed through contradictory perceptions of self (open to and encouraging of Indigenous learners) and of Indigenous students (as less capable than non-Indigenous students, and uninterested in educational success). Using the Strategic Relational Approach’s notion of a context conduct dialectic, we offer an explanation of this tension by positioning teachers centrally within Taiwan’s cultural political economy, before considering implications for teacher education.

Resource for Self-Determination or Perpetuation of Linguistic Imposition: Effects of English Learner Classification Among Alaska Native Students*

Federal law defines eligibility for English learner (EL) classification differently for Indigenous students compared with non-Indigenous students. To be EL-eligible, non-Indigenous students are required to have a non-English primary language. Indigenous students, by contrast, can be English-dominant or English monolingual. A critical question, therefore, is how EL classification impacts Indigenous students’ educational outcomes. This study explores this question for Alaska Native students, drawing on data from five Alaska school districts. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find preliminary evidence that among students who score near the EL classification threshold in kindergarten, EL classification has a large negative impact on Alaska Native students’ academic outcomes in the third and fourth grades. Negative impacts are not found for non–Alaska Native students.

First-Year International Students and the Language of Indigenous Studies

We advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous studies within first-year writing and academic English courses, particularly those taught to multilingual, international students. We argue that asking international students to learn about local and international Indigenous issues productively intersects with coursework in academic English. Our pedagogical approach emphasizes metalanguage and allows Indigenous studies and explicit language instruction to work in tandem, thereby recognizing the agency of Indigenous scholars and guiding non-Indigenous students in relation to it.

Challenges and successes of using Two-Eyed Seeing to teach Indigenous science at a predominantly white institution

Two-Eyed Seeing, or Etuaptmumk (in Mi’kmaw), is an approach to learning and science that braids both Indigenous and Western knowledges and ways of knowing. This approach has many benefits including a better understanding of the world and greater effectiveness at addressing large problems. In fall 2021, we used Two-Eyed Seeing to teach science at a predominantly white institution in Michigan (USA). In an online setting, participants learned from six Indigenous experts on topics ranging from the Odawa Nation’s connections to water to Indigenous education, and chemistry. The course was challenging to design and implement because of the Western/colonial structure of the institution, higher education, and Western science. Funding was both necessary for course design and constrained, as applications required speakers to have credentials commensurate with Western scientists, curriculum vitae, and advanced approval. Navigating Indigenous spaces brought challenges in building relationships, trust, and respect. Regardless of these constraints, this course proved to be highly successful. We received tremendous support from university administrators that were willing to fund this course. Additional faculty (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) contributed to grant writing and course design, and the course was populated to capacity approximately-one month after its listing by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. The course invested heavily in reciprocity and relationship building with Indigenous experts; and, after its completion, the course fueled future collaborations among faculty/staff, students, and Indigenous scientists. This course demonstrates the potential for relationship building and incorporation of Indigenous expertise in higher education.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ АДАПТАЦИИ МОЛОДЫХ ЛЮДЕЙ К НОВЫМ УСЛОВИЯМ ОКРУЖАЮЩЕЙ СРЕДЫ ПРИ СМЕНЕ МЕСТА ЖИТЕЛЬСТВА

The purpose of the work was to identify patterns of adaptation of young people to new environmental conditions when changing their place of residence. The study was carried out from September 2021 to June 2022, with the participation of134 people, 32 men and 102 women aged 18–20, first-year students of state universities in Volgograd. The gender, age, place of birth and place of residence of the respondents before entering the university were taken into account. To assess the level of systemic maladjustment, in terms of psychological, psychophysiological and psychosomatic symptoms of extreme tension of the body, a blank test by I.N. Gurvich, developed at the Psychoneurological Research Institute. V.M. Ankylosing spondylitis in1992. Manifestations of a stress reaction (Giessen questionnaire of somatic complaints) and anxiety-depressive disorders (HADS scale) were taken into account, and the presence of suicidal ideation was determined –modulo suicidal ideas of the Columbian Suicidal Seriousness Scale (C-SSRS). The functional status, in relation to the stress resistance of the subjects, was assessed by the level of the general nonspecific reactivity of the organism. As a result of the studies performed, it was determined that the maximum development of systemic maladjustment, at the time of passing the second examination session, is characteristic of male students who arrived to study in Volgograd from other regions of Russia. Throughout the spectrum of the studied symptoms of disa-daptation, both in the somatic (headaches, pains in the stomach, heart, abdomen) and in the mental (insomnia, physical fatigue, depression, suicidal ideation) sphere, their prevalence in groups of non-indigenous students is characteristic. residents of the Volgograd region, which is especially pronounced in men. In addition, male students, representatives of other regionsofRussia are characterized by a high level of general non-specific reactivity, indicating their low stress resistance, and men –the natives of the Volgograd region, in general, are characterized by an averagelevel of general non-specific reactivity of the organism.Women –participants in the study, both indigenous and non-indigenous residents of the Volgograd region, are characterized by a high level of non-specific reactivity, which implies an increasedstress reactivity of the body, and, accordingly,a risk of systemic maladaptation.

Self-concept a game changer for academic success for high-achieving Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous students: Reciprocal effects between self-concept and achievement

Indigenous Australians are highly disadvantaged educationally and on all socioeconomic indicators, but graduating from university largely closes this gap. However, despite clear examples of Indigenous success, little research has focused on the drivers of success of high-achieving Indigenous students to emulate their success. Thus, the explicit purpose of our study is to identify psychological drivers of Indigenous academic success for high-achieving students and compare these to those of high-achieving nonIndigenous students. To accomplish this purpose, we test the reciprocal effects model (REM) of self-concept and achievement for high-achieving Indigenous students (N = 493) and matched nonIndigenous students (N = 586) in primary and secondary schools. Academic achievement and self-concept were reciprocally related over three annual time waves, supporting the REM for high-achieving Indigenous and nonIndigenous students. Furthermore, results were invariant over two within-person facets (time and content-domain—math vs. English) and two between-person facets (Indigenous vs. nonIndigenous, and primary vs. secondary students). The results have important policy/practice implications for the drivers of success for high-achieving Indigenous students, education of high-achieving students more generally, and self-concept theory and research.