(2009). Australian Indigenous Perspectives on Quality Assurance in Children's Services. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, v34 n1 p10-19 Mar. The Australian Government has recently committed to the development of an integrated system of assuring national quality standards for Australian childcare and preschool services (Australian Government, 2008). This article addresses two fundamental issues relating to the development of an integrated system as it applies to Indigenous children's services. Specifically, these issues relate to a conceptualisation of quality child care from an Indigenous perspective, and to the participation of Indigenous services in an integrated quality assurance system. Who defines quality, what quality looks, sounds and feels like, and how to measure quality were questions examined in this study. Research methods included focus groups, community consultations, and interviews with key stakeholders in the childcare sector in order to identify the key issues regarding childcare quality assurance for Indigenous families and service providers. The research findings highlighted some serious incongruities… [Direct]
(2009). Self-Beliefs and Behavioural Development as Related to Academic Achievement in Canadian Aboriginal Children. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, v24 n1 p19-33. The authors explored the relationship between measures of self-belief, behavioural development, and academic achievement in Canadian Aboriginal children. Standardized measures of intelligence are unable to consistently predict academic achievement in students from indigenous populations. Exploring alternative factors that may be both predictive and amenable to improvements with interventions is therefore important in order to address the growing educational disparity in Canadian Aboriginal children. In this study, significant correlations were found between the Self-Perception Profile for Children rating of behavioural conduct and close friendships, the Behavior Assessment Scales for Children ratings of leadership and study skills, and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test measures of academic achievement. A school environment that provides opportunities for developing social skills and creating friendships as well as culturally appropriate interventions that support the… [Direct]
(2008). Scaffolding Academic Literacy with Indigenous Health Sciences Students: An Evaluative Study. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, v7 n3 p165-179 Jul. We report on an action research project that explored the use of an innovative pedagogy, known as \Scaffolding Academic Literacy\, to accelerate the learning of Indigenous undergraduate health science students at the University of Sydney. The pedagogy encompasses a set of teaching strategies that enable all students to read high level academic texts and successfully use what they learn from reading in their writing. The context of Indigenous adults entering tertiary study and their literacy needs are first outlined, the \Scaffolding Academic Literacy\ pedagogy and its implementation is described, and results of students' literacy development are measured using an assessment tool that combines qualitative analysis with a numerical score to track and compare progress. Results indicate that integrating reading and writing academic skills into the curriculum using the pedagogy accelerated students' academic literacy at above expected rates of development, measured against standard… [Direct]
(2009). Within High Schools–Influences on Retention among the Indigenous People of Northeast India. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston College. A qualitative case study of three high schools was conducted to identify and profile school practices employed in educating a traditionally low-achieving subpopulation in northeast India. By the considerably higher than average retention and graduation rates among their students who come from indigenous tribal communities, these schools stand out as effective. The study was centered on the following research questions: (1) What were the teaching practices that characterize three high schools with successful records of graduating (upwards of 100%) indigenous Northeast India tribal students? (2) How were these successful schools affected by the school leadership? A body of related literature provided the theoretical rationale and informed the researcher in collecting data, doing analysis, and processing interpretation. The researcher reviewed specific categories of literature focused on the following: dropout influences, effective teaching practices, school leadership, indigenous… [Direct]
(2008). Teaching Hometown Literature: A Pedagogy of Place. College English, v70 n3 p249-274 Jan. The author analyzes his experiences teaching literature courses in which he encourages students to research works by people from their hometowns. He argues that relating literature to concepts of "home" makes English classes more accessible to students while also helping them reflect on important issues in ecocriticism. (Contains 31 notes.)… [Direct]
(2009). Schooling, Cognitive Skills, and the Latin American Growth Puzzle. NBER Working Paper No. 15066. National Bureau of Economic Research Economic development in Latin America has trailed most other world regions over the past four decades despite its relatively high initial development and school attainment levels. This puzzle can be resolved by considering the actual learning as expressed in tests of cognitive skills, on which Latin American countries consistently perform at the bottom. In growth models estimated across world regions, these low levels of cognitive skills can account for the poor growth performance of Latin America. Given the limitations of worldwide tests in discriminating performance at low levels, we also introduce measures from two regional tests designed to measure performance for all Latin American countries with internationally comparable income data. Our growth analysis using these data confirms the significant effects of cognitive skills on intra-regional variations. Splicing the new regional tests into the worldwide tests, we also confirm this effect in extended worldwide regressions,… [Direct]
(2007). Aboriginal Education with Anti-Racist Education: Building Alliances across Cultural and Racial Identity Politics. Canadian Journal of Education, v30 n4 p1068-1092. A critical race analysis could provide both Aboriginal students and their university student advisors with knowledge to understand and potentially challenge the effects and processes of racialization that have historically, legally, and politically divided Aboriginal communities and families. Coalition and alliances can be made within and across the diversity within Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples' lives through a common understanding and commitment to anti-racist education. A critical anti-racist education could provide a foundation to forge alliances between diverse Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in a common search for social justice in education. (Contains 2 notes.)… [PDF] [Direct]
(2008). Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit. University of British Columbia Press Indigenous oral narratives are an important source for, and component of, Coast Salish knowledge systems. Stories are not only to be recounted and passed down; they are also intended as tools for teaching. Jo-ann Archibald worked closely with Elders and storytellers, who shared both traditional and personal life-experience stories, in order to develop ways of bringing storytelling into educational contexts. "Indigenous Storywork" is the result of this research and it demonstrates how stories have the power to educate and heal the heart, mind, body, and spirit. It builds on the seven principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, holism, interrelatedness, and synergy that form a framework for understanding the characteristics of stories, appreciating the process of storytelling, establishing a receptive learning context, and engaging in holistic meaning-making. The book contains the following chapters: (1) The Journey Begins; (2) Coyote Searching for the… [Direct]
(2008). Engaging Excellent Aboriginal Students in Science: An Innovation in Culturally-Inclusive Schooling. Teaching Science, v54 n4 p35-39 Dec. A summer school in Science and Technology was held in January 2008 for nineteen Indigenous students commencing year 11 who were identified as having high academic potential in science and mathematics. Known as the Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science (ASSETS) the summer school was held at the Australian Science and Mathematics School, Flinders University, Adelaide South Australia. Selected on merit, the Indigenous students came from around the nation to participate in the ten-day innovative program. Student engagement and involvement with the concepts and conduct of science was high and the activity intense. Learning was deep and its impact on students' was profound. This paper reports on the nature of learning and teaching of science to Indigenous students at this school and seeks to answer the question "What was so innovative about the program that its impact was not merely successful but also profound?". (Contains 1 figure.)… [Direct]
(2009). Laughing at Mistakes: Language Politics, Counter-Hegemonic Actions, and Bilingual Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, v8 n2-3 p124-143. This article analyzes how minority-language students responded to what they felt to be disrespectful behavior of a mainstream teacher towards their language from a case at an Aotearoa/New Zealand school in 1997-1998. Even when minority language is recognized officially and institutionally, as in Aotearoa/New Zealand, some minority-language speakers still face disrespectful behavior towards their language in daily life. However, previous research on empowering minority language speakers has tended to focus on macrolevel reforms or microlevel survival strategies. By analyzing Maori/English bilingual students' laughing at a mainstream teacher's mispronunciation of Te Reo words, which had loaded effects due to the current cultural politics in Aotearoa/New Zealand, this article explores a microlevel strategy for minority language speakers to effectively challenge hegemonic norms that marginalize their language in daily life. (Contains 1 footnote.)… [Direct]
(2008). Not Just Content, but Style: Gypsy Children Traversing Boundaries. Research in Comparative and International Education, v3 n3 p235-249. The policy to integrate English Gypsy children in schools tends to overlook the difficulties facing such youngsters in their attempts to negotiate between contrasting practices and values at home and school. Contradictions between such practices/value systems at home and school entail not only knowledge/skills, but also differing modes of instruction/transmission. Informed by learning theories and New Literacy discourse, along with evidence from previous accounts of Romani learning practices in the home context, this article draws on findings from an ethnographic study of English Gypsies (1996-2000), and data from a follow-up study, involving original and additional participants (2005-6). The article explores attitudes across age-groups, outlining, in particular, the knowledge/skill base valued in the home setting, highlighting the mismatch between home and school expectations, and the difference of expectation in child-adult relations in each context. It argues that policy-makers… [Direct]
(2008). Environmental Literacy: A System of Best-Fit for Promoting Environmental Awareness in Low Literate Communities. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, v7 n3 p76-82. Environmental literacy has been defined in various ways: from acquisition of scientific knowledge to addressing environmental concerns through indigenous knowledge. Program planners and educators need to identify and employ strategies for inclusive program development where all stakeholders are given an equal opportunity to share their opinions as well as constraints. The barriers identified through such a process can then be negotiated in a more meaningful way by all involved. If participants can be encouraged to be actively involved not only in the planning processes but also in the implementation design of environmental programs, then this involvement could lead to better and longer lasting results for sustainable management of resources…. [Direct]
(2008). We Are All Related: Indigenous People Combine Traditional Knowledge, Geo-Science to Save Planet. Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, v20 n2 p24-27 Win. Through a new working group, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are playing a critical leadership role in addressing some of the most difficult climate-related problems now facing the planet. Because of their unique cultural character, TCUs have an important voice. The American Indian and Alaska Native Climate Change Working Group was formed in June 2006, and in the past two years, it has taken significant steps. It brought some of the nation's leading scientists together with some of Indian Country's most respected elders. Working with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the tribal colleges have involved students in climate research in their own backyards. And they have begun training tribal college students to create digital films and documentary film archives about changes in landscapes and seascapes. The working group is a network of many organizations and individuals in which TCUs constitute the… [Direct]
(2008). Post-Secondary Educational Attainment of Immigrant and Native Youth. Social Forces, v87 n1 p121-152 Sep. We examine immigrant generation differences in college attendance and college type among youth ages 18 through 26 who have graduated from a U.S. high school. Results indicate that first- and second-generation immigrants are significantly more likely to attend college than their third-plus generation counterparts of similar race/ethnicity, socioeconomic and family background characteristics. While parental behaviors and expectations for college attendance do not significantly mediate these generational differences, these factors appear to indirectly affect college-going behavior through their impact on students' verbal ability and academic achievement during high school. Interaction models including race/ethnicity and generation status reveal that the second-generation effects on college attendance are largely driven by Chinese youth, whereas the first-generation effects on college attendance are largely driven by black immigrant students. (Contains 5 tables and 5 notes.)… [Direct]
(2010). The Routledge International Companion to Multicultural Education. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group This volume is the first authoritative reference work to provide a truly comprehensive international description and analysis of multicultural education around the world. It is organized around \key concepts\ and uses \case studies\ from various nations in different parts of the world to exemplify and illustrate the concepts. Case studies are from many nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Norway, Bulgaria, Russia, South Africa, Japan, China, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico. Two chapters focus on regions–Latin America and the French-speaking nations in Africa. The book is divided into ten sections, covering theory and research pertaining to curriculum reform, immigration and citizenship, language, religion, and the education of ethnic and cultural minority groups among other topics. With forty newly commissioned pieces written by a prestigious group of internationally renowned… [Direct]