Abstract
This study examines the experiences and achievements of Native and Indigenous students in traditional institutions of higher education. While Native and Indigenous in traditional institutions of higher education continue to lag behind their non-native peers in graduation rates, the study explores their experiences, communicating in their own words in the community, with the purpose of identifying unique challenges and crafting solutions to improve outcomes. The research is based on a qualitative analysis of written interviews of 100 Native and Indigenous participants with tribal affiliations and over 18 years old who have attended and completed a course of study at a traditional institution of higher education. The narrative data were interpreted through qualitative analysis and thematic extraction. The findings suggest that both positive and negative experiences exist, and support systems can be used to bolster Native student achievement and success. Positive indicators include increased social support and a sense of belonging, while negative indicators include social disorientation, lack of access to resources, lack of adequate academic preparation, and lack of faculty and staff support. The study concludes that Native students in traditional institutions of higher education experience a disorienting dilemma. Increasing adequate academic preparation, access to resources and faculty/staff support systems improves performance as does creating a sense of belonging to the outside community.
Presenters
Christina AlexanderProfessor of Humanities, Humanities and Fine Arts, St. Petersburg College, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Civic, Political, and Community Studies
KEYWORDS
INDIGENOUS, HIGHER EDUCATION, NARRATIVE, HUMANISM, KNOWLEGE SYSTEMS, INTERPRETIVE, COMMUNITY, HOLISM
