The participation of Australian Indigenous students in higher education: a scoping review of empirical research, 2000–2016 (original) (raw)
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Higher education aspirations, participation, and achievement of Australian Indigenous males 2022
This report summarises the findings of the project ‘Higher Education Aspirations, Participation, and Achievement of Australian Indigenous males1’, led by the Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing – Northern Territory at Menzies School of Health Research. Qualitative, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with Indigenous male students and alumni (n = 19) across five state and territory jurisdictions (NT, WA, VIC, ACT and QLD) to gain insights into participants’ aspirations for, and engagement and participation in, higher education2. It is important to acknowledge that this project is non-Indigenous led. However, the research team included multiple Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and educators from across Australia, aiming to include the integration of Indigenist perspectives and adopt (wherever possible) principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty throughout the different stages of research design, fieldwork, analysis, and knowledge translation. Findings highlighted the aspirations of Indigenous men and their families to engage in higher education. The aspirations were motivated by a desire to acquire knowledge and skills to gain employment, invest in community development, and to mentor peers and family members. Participants were motivated to pursue topics they were passionate about and sought to embed Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into theories and practice. Enabling factors to pursue higher education included structural supports within universities that sustained their studies. The supports included flexible course arrangements, timelines and deadlines, provision of scholarships to cover living and study expenses, and access to Indigenous student support services. These supports were most effective when used in conjunction with effective evidence-based study habits. On the other hand, barriers to engaging in higher education included financial constraints, a lack of academic preparation in high school, and perceived mystification of university shaped by a lack of general awareness and course promotion. Finally, barriers to sustaining higher education also emerged, including those associated with COVID-19 disruptions to study schedules and routines. It is recommended that higher education institutes develop promotional campaigns featuring Indigenous male role models and their education stories, particularly education pathways that emphasise qualifications related to employment in health, education, and welfare sectors. The rise of online courses creates the potential for higher education to meet Indigenous men in their place, Country, and community, allowing them to maintain a connection to social and cultural supports. There is also a need for government grants and university in-kind contributions to libraries and community centres in remote locations for computers, books, and other study materials designed to increase higher education awareness, computer literacy, and ultimately participation in online university courses. Scholarships covering study costs and living expenses are vital entry factors to higher education for Indigenous men, many of which experience cumulative equity impacts, such as remoteness, or lower socioeconomic status. This report explains how and why Indigenous men engage and succeed in higher education. However, further research is needed, including perspectives from family, community members, those who may be reluctant to engage in higher education and those at risk of disengaging from education to fully understand the multifaceted, often intergenerational journey for Indigenous men to participate in higher education. Culturally responsive and gender-sensitive strategies that can be adopted by various sectors to increase university participation and completion rates among this cohort are also urgently needed.
Unlocking Capacity and Empowering Choices: Indigenous Students' Aspirations for Higher Education
2018
This project explored the educational intentions and occupational interests of Indigenous school students from Years 3-12 as well as their understanding of the path from school to higher education. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from an Aspirations Longitudinal Study, focus groups and interviews, indicated major enablers and barriers to higher education achievement that were identified by Indigenous students, their parents and teachers.
Enabling programs are not-for-degree programs designed to provide the necessary academic and cultural scaffolding for students who do not meet the institution’s usual admissions criteria. This chapter focuses specifically on the findings relevant to Indigenous students, who represent one of six officially-recognised equity groups of students in Australian higher education policy. The evidence from the study indicates that Indigenous enabling pathways provide an important and effective environment in which the students develop a sense of belonging in higher education and develop the necessary resilience to persist in their subsequent studies. However, it is less clear whether Indigenous students are receiving the academic skills development necessary to succeed in their studies at rates similar to other students
Indigenous higher education student equity: focusing on what works
Australian journal of indigenous education, 2011
The rates of higher education access, participation and completion for Indigenous students are much lower than those for non-Indigenous students in Australia. This paper argues for a research-led focus on what works in terms of Indigenous student equity in higher education. Undertaking independent evaluation of existing initiatives and leveraging the experience of hundreds of successful Indigenous graduates, it may be possible to articulate some of the ways in which success has been, and can be, achieved, despite the challenges that face Indigenous students. In other words, it may be possible to articulate some aspects of what works for some Indigenous people in relation to higher education. A focus on articulating strategies that Indigenous individuals and communities might adopt in relation to higher education should be developed alongside the management of systemic problems through a range of means. The "successfocused" approach would provide one of a suite of approaches that may be helpful in addressing Indigenous student equity.
This paper brings together recent statistics relating to the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education. A number of key statistical realities relating to their enrolment into, retention during, and completion of, their university courses are depicted. Foremost among these realities is that despite initiatives over recent years to redress their under-representation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ participation in higher education remains significantly below the population parity rate. This paper also warns about the need to exercise care about definitions, sources, measurement, collection, interpretation and analysis of data in the higher education field relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It concludes that successful transitions to university involve not just success in enrolling more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, but in improving their retention and completion rates, and moreover, th...