Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T04:52:19.399Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Indigenous Secondary Education in the Northern Territory: Building for the Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2014

Jeannie Herbert ,
Dennis M. McInerney ,
Lyn Fasoli ,
Peter Stephenson  and
Lysbeth Ford
Jeannie Herbert
Affiliation:
Centre for Indigenous Studies, Charles Sturt University, Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia
Dennis M. McInerney
Affiliation:
The Hong Kong Institute of Education, New Territories, Hong Kong
Lyn Fasoli*
Affiliation:
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia
Peter Stephenson
Affiliation:
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia
Lysbeth Ford
Affiliation:
Linguistics Department, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Lyn Fasoli, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Batchelor NT 0845, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This article reports on the findings of an Australian Research Council (ARC) funded research project, ‘Building the future for Indigenous students’, an investigation of the hopes and dreams for the future of over 1,000 secondary students, 733 of whom were Indigenous, living in very remote, remote, and urban locations in the Northern Territory. Using both quantitative and qualitative research tools, researchers sought to understand what motivated the students at school and how they studied — critical elements in successful school achievement. In this article, the analysis of Indigenous student responses to a series of questions in the qualitative component of the study is presented. The analysis concludes that urban and remote Indigenous school children provide similar responses to questions that probe: (1) the value of education/school/self, (2) learner future goals, (3) learner motivation, and (4) learning preferences. The study also finds that very remote Indigenous school children, while similar in some question responses to both groups, also show some important differences that raise questions for more research.

Keywords

Indigenous educationhigh schoolmotivation
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , December 2014 , pp. 85 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altman, J.C., Biddle, N., & Hunter, B. (2008). How realistic are the prospects for ‘closing the gaps’ in socioeconomic outcomes for Indigenous Australians? (Discussion Paper No. 287). Canberra, Australia: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/Publications/DP/2007_DP287.pdfGoogle Scholar
Altman, J.C. (2009). Beyond closing the gap: Valuing diversity in Indigenous Australia (Working Paper No. 54/2009). Canberra, Australia: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.Google Scholar
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). (2009). A chronology: The bilingual education policy in the Northern Territory. Four Corners. September 14, 2009. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20090914/language/chronology.htmGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2008). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (Cat. No. 4714.0.55.005). Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved 24 July, 2014 from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4714.0Google Scholar
Boughton, B. (2000). What is the connection between Aboriginal education and Aboriginal health? (Occasional Paper Series, No. 2). Darwin, Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health.Google Scholar
Department of Education and Training (DET). (2012). Annual Report 2011–2012. Darwin, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.education.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/32601/DET_AnnualReport2011--12.pdfGoogle Scholar
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). (2011a). Closing the Gap in the Northern Territory (including Northern Territory Emergency Response) Evaluation Report 2011. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/our-responsibilities/indigenous-australians/publications-articles/northern-territory-emergency-response-evaluation-report-2011Google Scholar
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). (2011b). Stronger futures in the Northern Territory: Discussion paper. Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). (2012). Closing the Gap NTER Monitoring Report Part Two. Canberra, Australia: FaHCSIA. Retrieved June 22, 2013, from http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/01_2013/part_2_nter_monitoring_report_31jan.pdfGoogle Scholar
Herbert, J. (2006). Indigenous learners, language and identity: Implications for educators. In Cadman, K. & O’Regan, K. (Eds.), Tales out of school: Identity and English language teaching (pp. 72–85). Adelaide Australia: Australian Council of TESOL Associations.Google Scholar
Hunter, B.H., & Gray, M.C., (2012). Continuity and change in the CDEP Scheme (Working Paper No 84/2012). Canberra, Australia: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR).Google Scholar
Kroneman, M. (2007). Education is the key: An education future for Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Education Union.Google Scholar
Lea, T., Wegner, A., McRae-Williams, E., Chenhall, R., & Holmes, C. (2011). Problematising school space for Indigenous education: Teachers’ and parents’ perspectives. Ethnography and Education, 6 (3), 265–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McRae-Williams, E. (2011) Living with work in a remote Aboriginal Community. In Gerritsen, R. (Ed.), North Australian political economy: Issues and agendas. Darwin, Australia: Charles Darwin University Press.Google Scholar
Malin, M. (2003). Is schooling good for Aboriginal children's health? Darwin, Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health.Google Scholar
Purdie, N., & Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students. (Issues paper No. 1 produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; and Melbourne, Australia: Australian Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved December 8, 2010 from http://www.aihw.gov.au/closingthegap/documents/issues_papers/ihw/33/12176.pdfGoogle Scholar
Reid, K. (2008). The causes of non-attendance: An empirical study. Educational Review, 60, 345–357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rivers, L. (2012). Remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment pathways: A literature review (Cooperative Research Centre Remote Economic Participation working paper). Alice Springs, Australia: Ninti One Limited.Google Scholar
Schwab, R.G. (1999). Complex reasons for low Indigenous school retention. (Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Research Monograph No. 16). Canberra, Australia: The Australian National University.Google Scholar
Silburn, S., Nutton, G., McKenzie, J., & Landrigan, M. (2011). Early years English language acquisition and instructional approaches for Aboriginal students with home languages other than English: A systematic review of the Australian and international literature. Darwin, Australia: The Centre for Child Development and Education.Google Scholar
Simpson, J., Caffery, J., & McConvell, P. (2009). Gaps in Australia's Indigenous language policy: Dismantling bilingual education in the Northern Territory (Discussion Paper No. 24). Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.Google Scholar