The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2020
The benefits of school and community partnerships are well documented in government reports and t... more The benefits of school and community partnerships are well documented in government reports and the academic literature. A number of government initiatives have been introduced to actively involve parents and the community in school matters. In addition, various agencies have produced resource kits and guidelines to assist schools and communities to develop and foster partnerships, and partnership agreements. Much of this study has focused on working with Aboriginal peoples. The use of the term, ‘Aboriginal’ in this paper refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Initiatives such as ‘What Works’ have had some success in building strong Aboriginal community and school partnerships, however, the literature also reveals that despite such initiatives, the levels of success vary from school to school, with some partnerships unable to develop or be sustained. In responding to a gap in the current knowledge, the authors examine the value of school–community partnerships in a ...
The Engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and caregivers two... more The Engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and caregivers two-year project has culminated in a unique interactive website that houses a number of learning and teaching tools, strategies and resources designed to support all those working to improve the educational success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students n schools, Australia’s First Nations peoples. It is intended to be used in teacher education programs (pre-service and in-service), by teachers and school leaders, and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The resource has been created to help all educators form relationships and partnerships with local communities, parents and caregivers to achieve better educational outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The resource positions educators as powerful agents of change. The project began from the premise that school education has traditionally involved ways of thinking and learning imposed o...
The drive to justify programs in the public sector has resulted in a growing desire by many organ... more The drive to justify programs in the public sector has resulted in a growing desire by many organisations involved in education, social services, health and welfare to seek evidence of the outcomes that result from these programs. Pressure from governments for accountability of expenditure in these areas grew as the available resources to pay for them came under pressure in recent decades (Perry & McWilliam, 2007; Staley, 2008; Mundine, 2014; Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2014). This search for quality can be due to a desire for information on the effectiveness of an innovation, including the identification of effective practices or practices that need improvement, but perhaps also to ensure there is clarity and consensus regarding the purpose of a program or to prove a program is of value to bodies funding it (Strengthening Non-profits, 2015). In all these cases, measurement of the outcomes of projects provides the data on which decisions can be made - whether it is to acknowledge success, revise for future practice, to terminate or to justify expenditure. For the writiers of this chapter, outcomes-bases decision-making was central to their research
This paper is based on a three year longitudinal case study involving a number of Indigenous Aust... more This paper is based on a three year longitudinal case study involving a number of Indigenous Australian communities in metropolitan, rural and remote settings. It will briefly discuss current ethical guidelines which have been developed by the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for the conduct of research involving Indigenous Australian subjects (2003). These guidelines are in addition to the National Statement on ethical conduct in research involving humans (1999) and are aimed at incorporating values and principles of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultures in the conduct of research. In the case of Indigenous communities, research has historically been controlled and dominated by non–Indigenous researchers. In many cases, Indigenous involvement and ownership over the research activity has been minimal or nonexistent and the benefits of the research have not been shared by Indigenous participants and/or communities. The main focus of the paper will discuss iss...
Research in Indigenous communities has historically been controlled and dominated by non-Indigeno... more Research in Indigenous communities has historically been controlled and dominated by non-Indigenous researchers. The research methodologies used have been inappropriate and have centred on non-Indigenous frames of reference which in turn has not promoted Indigenous involvement and ownership over the research activity. By using the notion of Indigenous self determination to underscore the research processes with a view to establishing partnerships informed and framed by Indigenous social, cultural decision making processes, Indigenous communities could achieve significant benefits from research and be enriched and empowered by it. This paper discusses a number of research principles which should be acknowledged when conducting research in Indigenous communities. These principles will then be used to analyse fieldwork experiences in a range of Indigenous community contexts
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2017
The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted... more The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted, and yet it is often misunderstood, or worse, devalued. Added to this, the conditions of employment for many AEWs is often insecure, with minimal pay, few opportunities for career progression or meaningful professional development. Despite this there continues to be, as there have been for decades, research findings, policies and reports attesting to the invaluable role of AEWs in schools and communities. The theoretical standpoint of Nakata's (2007) ‘cultural interface’ is used in this paper to critically (re) examine the role of AEWs in Australian schools. Drawing from relevant past and contemporary literature, this paper draws attention to past and contemporary theorising and policy concerning the roles of AEWs. It asserts that if the work of AEWs is to be better understood and valued then it must be reconsidered in a more transformative way that benefits both the students and sc...
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2017
The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has re... more The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has received considerable attention in both the literature and government policy in the 21st century. The participation and graduation rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs have remained low and are becoming a particular focus in universities across Australia. This paper reflects on the life and contribution of David Unaipon, the enrolment data from a small sample of universities across Australia and the literature to discuss potential strategies for improving the access to, participation in and graduation from higher education STEM courses.
It was a Friday morning and the bell had gone 15 minutes ago and ten year old Crystal turned up a... more It was a Friday morning and the bell had gone 15 minutes ago and ten year old Crystal turned up at the classroom door. She waited there for a few minutes, then quietly took her seat and began speaking in Aboriginal English to her friend seated next to her about the activity they were doing. The teacher, who had not noticed Crystal walk in, looked over and saw her talking, and addressed the class in a loud tone, 'Look who has turned up late again, and by the way Crystal we speak proper English in this classroom.'
Aboriginal children experience social and educational disadvantage and many are not engaged with ... more Aboriginal children experience social and educational disadvantage and many are not engaged with schooling or learning, which results in significantly lower levels of educational attainment. The Aboriginal Education Program delivered by Scitech to remote Western Australian schools has been shown to significantly increase student ratings of their enjoyment of science, curiosity about science phenomena and their rating of science as a favourite subject. Teachers reported that student focus and engagement was very high during the Scitech activities and that student attendance and behaviour was better than usual (Hackling, Byrne, Gower, and Anderson, 2012). This study investigated the practices used by the Scitech presenters that generated high levels of student engagement. Analysis of classroom observations and transcripts of classroom dialogue from lessons that generated high levels of engagement showed that a set of 11 pedagogies underpinned this engaging practice. The pedagogical practices addressed: relationship-building, facilitation of effective hands-on activity work, participation in classroom discourse and connecting the science activities to the student's experiences and local context. The findings of this study elaborate the Primary Connections Indigenous perspectives framework (Australian Academy of Science, 2008), and provide a model to underpin approaches to teaching Aboriginal children, and possibly other children, who are not engaged with learning science.
One of the issues that arise, especially in large multi-site educational research projects, is wh... more One of the issues that arise, especially in large multi-site educational research projects, is whether to use school staff rather than researchers to collect data in schools. In many projects, the use of school staff can have advantages such as saving time and salary costs, as well as improving the quality of data as the school staff are already known
Australian Association for Research in Education …, 2003
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed national guidelines for th... more The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed national guidelines for the conduct of research in Indigenous communities. These guidelines have precipitated a change in Indigenous control and involvement over Indigenous research to a large ...
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2020
The benefits of school and community partnerships are well documented in government reports and t... more The benefits of school and community partnerships are well documented in government reports and the academic literature. A number of government initiatives have been introduced to actively involve parents and the community in school matters. In addition, various agencies have produced resource kits and guidelines to assist schools and communities to develop and foster partnerships, and partnership agreements. Much of this study has focused on working with Aboriginal peoples. The use of the term, ‘Aboriginal’ in this paper refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Initiatives such as ‘What Works’ have had some success in building strong Aboriginal community and school partnerships, however, the literature also reveals that despite such initiatives, the levels of success vary from school to school, with some partnerships unable to develop or be sustained. In responding to a gap in the current knowledge, the authors examine the value of school–community partnerships in a ...
The Engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and caregivers two... more The Engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and caregivers two-year project has culminated in a unique interactive website that houses a number of learning and teaching tools, strategies and resources designed to support all those working to improve the educational success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students n schools, Australia’s First Nations peoples. It is intended to be used in teacher education programs (pre-service and in-service), by teachers and school leaders, and by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The resource has been created to help all educators form relationships and partnerships with local communities, parents and caregivers to achieve better educational outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The resource positions educators as powerful agents of change. The project began from the premise that school education has traditionally involved ways of thinking and learning imposed o...
The drive to justify programs in the public sector has resulted in a growing desire by many organ... more The drive to justify programs in the public sector has resulted in a growing desire by many organisations involved in education, social services, health and welfare to seek evidence of the outcomes that result from these programs. Pressure from governments for accountability of expenditure in these areas grew as the available resources to pay for them came under pressure in recent decades (Perry & McWilliam, 2007; Staley, 2008; Mundine, 2014; Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2014). This search for quality can be due to a desire for information on the effectiveness of an innovation, including the identification of effective practices or practices that need improvement, but perhaps also to ensure there is clarity and consensus regarding the purpose of a program or to prove a program is of value to bodies funding it (Strengthening Non-profits, 2015). In all these cases, measurement of the outcomes of projects provides the data on which decisions can be made - whether it is to acknowledge success, revise for future practice, to terminate or to justify expenditure. For the writiers of this chapter, outcomes-bases decision-making was central to their research
This paper is based on a three year longitudinal case study involving a number of Indigenous Aust... more This paper is based on a three year longitudinal case study involving a number of Indigenous Australian communities in metropolitan, rural and remote settings. It will briefly discuss current ethical guidelines which have been developed by the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for the conduct of research involving Indigenous Australian subjects (2003). These guidelines are in addition to the National Statement on ethical conduct in research involving humans (1999) and are aimed at incorporating values and principles of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultures in the conduct of research. In the case of Indigenous communities, research has historically been controlled and dominated by non–Indigenous researchers. In many cases, Indigenous involvement and ownership over the research activity has been minimal or nonexistent and the benefits of the research have not been shared by Indigenous participants and/or communities. The main focus of the paper will discuss iss...
Research in Indigenous communities has historically been controlled and dominated by non-Indigeno... more Research in Indigenous communities has historically been controlled and dominated by non-Indigenous researchers. The research methodologies used have been inappropriate and have centred on non-Indigenous frames of reference which in turn has not promoted Indigenous involvement and ownership over the research activity. By using the notion of Indigenous self determination to underscore the research processes with a view to establishing partnerships informed and framed by Indigenous social, cultural decision making processes, Indigenous communities could achieve significant benefits from research and be enriched and empowered by it. This paper discusses a number of research principles which should be acknowledged when conducting research in Indigenous communities. These principles will then be used to analyse fieldwork experiences in a range of Indigenous community contexts
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2017
The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted... more The work of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in Australian schools is complex and multifaceted, and yet it is often misunderstood, or worse, devalued. Added to this, the conditions of employment for many AEWs is often insecure, with minimal pay, few opportunities for career progression or meaningful professional development. Despite this there continues to be, as there have been for decades, research findings, policies and reports attesting to the invaluable role of AEWs in schools and communities. The theoretical standpoint of Nakata's (2007) ‘cultural interface’ is used in this paper to critically (re) examine the role of AEWs in Australian schools. Drawing from relevant past and contemporary literature, this paper draws attention to past and contemporary theorising and policy concerning the roles of AEWs. It asserts that if the work of AEWs is to be better understood and valued then it must be reconsidered in a more transformative way that benefits both the students and sc...
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2017
The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has re... more The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has received considerable attention in both the literature and government policy in the 21st century. The participation and graduation rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs have remained low and are becoming a particular focus in universities across Australia. This paper reflects on the life and contribution of David Unaipon, the enrolment data from a small sample of universities across Australia and the literature to discuss potential strategies for improving the access to, participation in and graduation from higher education STEM courses.
It was a Friday morning and the bell had gone 15 minutes ago and ten year old Crystal turned up a... more It was a Friday morning and the bell had gone 15 minutes ago and ten year old Crystal turned up at the classroom door. She waited there for a few minutes, then quietly took her seat and began speaking in Aboriginal English to her friend seated next to her about the activity they were doing. The teacher, who had not noticed Crystal walk in, looked over and saw her talking, and addressed the class in a loud tone, 'Look who has turned up late again, and by the way Crystal we speak proper English in this classroom.'
Aboriginal children experience social and educational disadvantage and many are not engaged with ... more Aboriginal children experience social and educational disadvantage and many are not engaged with schooling or learning, which results in significantly lower levels of educational attainment. The Aboriginal Education Program delivered by Scitech to remote Western Australian schools has been shown to significantly increase student ratings of their enjoyment of science, curiosity about science phenomena and their rating of science as a favourite subject. Teachers reported that student focus and engagement was very high during the Scitech activities and that student attendance and behaviour was better than usual (Hackling, Byrne, Gower, and Anderson, 2012). This study investigated the practices used by the Scitech presenters that generated high levels of student engagement. Analysis of classroom observations and transcripts of classroom dialogue from lessons that generated high levels of engagement showed that a set of 11 pedagogies underpinned this engaging practice. The pedagogical practices addressed: relationship-building, facilitation of effective hands-on activity work, participation in classroom discourse and connecting the science activities to the student's experiences and local context. The findings of this study elaborate the Primary Connections Indigenous perspectives framework (Australian Academy of Science, 2008), and provide a model to underpin approaches to teaching Aboriginal children, and possibly other children, who are not engaged with learning science.
One of the issues that arise, especially in large multi-site educational research projects, is wh... more One of the issues that arise, especially in large multi-site educational research projects, is whether to use school staff rather than researchers to collect data in schools. In many projects, the use of school staff can have advantages such as saving time and salary costs, as well as improving the quality of data as the school staff are already known
Australian Association for Research in Education …, 2003
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed national guidelines for th... more The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has developed national guidelines for the conduct of research in Indigenous communities. These guidelines have precipitated a change in Indigenous control and involvement over Indigenous research to a large ...
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Papers by Graeme Gower