Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:54:46.147Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Fallacy of the Bolted Horse: Changing Our Thinking About Mature-Age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander University Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

Suzanne Plater ,
Julie Mooney-Somers  and
Jo Lander
Suzanne Plater*
Affiliation:
Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Julie Mooney-Somers
Affiliation:
Centre for Value, Law and Ethics in Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Jo Lander
Affiliation:
Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Suzanne Plater, Sydney School of Public Health, Edward Ford Building (A27), The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The aim of this article is to critically review and analyse the public representations of mature-age university students in developed and some developing nations and how they compare to the public representations of mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students in Australia (‘students’ also refers to graduates unless the context requires specificity). Relevant texts were identified by reviewing education-related academic and policy literature, media opinion and reportage pieces, conference proceedings, and private sector and higher education reviews, reports and submissions. What this review reveals is striking: very few commentators are publicly and unambiguously encouraging, supporting and celebrating mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students. This strongly contrasts with the discussions around mature-age university students in general, where continuous or lifelong learning is acclaimed and endorsed, particularly as our populations grow older and remain healthier and there are relatively lower numbers of working-age people. While scholars, social commentators, bureaucrats and politicians enthusiastically highlight the intrinsic and extrinsic value of the mature-age student's social and economic contributions, the overarching narrative of the mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student is one of ‘the horse has bolted’, meaning that it is too late for this cohort and therefore society to benefit from their university education. In this article we examine these conflicting positions, investigate why this dichotomy exists, present an alternative view for consideration, and make recommendations for further research into this area.

Keywords

mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studentsuniversity students
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , August 2015 , pp. 59 - 69
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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

Anderson, I., & Potok, R. (2011). Indigenous education: Increasing the flow of students from school to university. The Australian Literary Review, 6, 22.Google Scholar
Asmar, C., Page, S., & Radloff, A. (2011). Dispelling myths: Indigenous students’ engagement with university (AUSSE Research Briefings, v.10 April 2011). Retrieved November 12, 2013 from http://research.acer.edu.au/ausse/2/Google Scholar
Asmar, C. (2014, April). Indigenous student engagement in Australian universities: Key findings from recent research. Paper presented at the 10th Annual Conference of Southeast Indian Studies, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NC.Google Scholar
Attwood, B., & Markus, A. (1999). The Struggle for Aboriginal Rights: A Documentary History. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Measures of Australia's Progress, Crime in Australia. (Cat. No. 1370.0) Retrieved November 7, 2014 from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/1370.0~2010~Chapter~Crime%20in%20Australia%20(4.4.5)Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Australian Social Trends: Education and Indigenous wellbeing, March 2011. (Cat. No. 4102.0). Canberra, Australia. Author. Retrieved December 1, 2013 from www.abs.gov.au/socialtrendsGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013a). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students (Cat. No. 4221.0). Canberra, Austalia: Author. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/4221.0main+features100062013Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013b). Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2011 (Cat. No. 3238.0.55.001). Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/latestProducts/3238.0.55.001Media%20Release1June%202011Google Scholar
Australian Government. (2014). Closing the Gap: Prime Minister's Report 2014. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved May 16, 2014 from http://www.dpmc.gov.au/publications/docs/closing_the_gap_2014.pdfGoogle Scholar
Behrendt, L., Larkin, S., Griew, R., & Kelly, P. (2012). Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: Final Report. Canberra, Australia: Australian Government. Retrieved June 5, 2013 from http://www.innovation.gov.au/HIGHEREDUCATION/INDIGENOUSHIGHEREDUCATION/REVIEWOFINDIGENOUSHIGHEREDUCATION/Pages/default.aspxGoogle Scholar
Bloom, D.E., Boersch-Supan, A., McGee, P., & Seike, A. (2011). Population Aging: Facts, Challenges and Responses. (PGDA Working Paper No. 71, May 2011). Retrieved November 17, 2013 from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/pgda/working.htmGoogle Scholar
Brennan, J., Durazzi, N., & Sene, T. (2013). Things we know and don't know about the wider benefits of higher education: A review of the recent literature (BIS Research Paper, No. 120). London: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Retrieved April 4, 2013 from www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/251011/bis-13--1244-things-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-wider-benefits-of-higher-education.pdfGoogle Scholar
Callender, C., & Little, B. (2014). The hidden benefits of part-time higher education study to working practices: Is there a case for making them more visible? Journal of Education and Work, 28, 250–272. Retrieved June 1, 2014 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2014.894635CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chesters, J., & Watson, L. (2013). Returns to education for those returning to education: Evidence from Australia. Studies in Higher Education, 1–15.Google Scholar
Crowe, D., & Akerman, P. (2014, May 2). Pension age to rise to 70 in 2035, Hockey confirms. The Australian. Retrieved May 12, 2014 from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/budget-2014/pension-age-to-rise-to-70-in-2035-hockey-confirms/story-fnmbxr2t-1226903212488Google Scholar
Daniels, J. (2011, December). Older mature age students in Australian higher education: How are they ‘getting on’? Paper presented at the 1st International Conference on Enabling Access to Higher Education, Adelaide, South Australia. Retrieved March 1, 2014 from http://www.dsw.edu.pl/fileadmin/www-ranlhe/files/JDaniels.pdfGoogle Scholar
Department of Human Services. (2009). Age pension. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/age-pensionGoogle Scholar
Department of Industry. (2012). Australian Core Skills Framework. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved December 4, 2013 from www.deewr.gov.au/acsfGoogle Scholar
Elder, B. (1998). Blood on the wattle: Massacres and maltreatment of Aboriginal Australians since 1788. Sydney, Australia: New Holland Publishers.Google Scholar
European Commission. (2008). Learning for all – Education and Training. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc58_en.htmGoogle Scholar
Fanning, E. (2012, September 13). The Turning Point. The Global Mail. Retrieved March 12, 2014 from http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/the-turning-point/377/Google Scholar
Gale, T., & Tranter, D. (2011). Social justice in Australian higher education policy: An historical and conceptual account of student participation. Critical Studies in Education, 52, 29–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HM Treasury. (2006). The Leitch review of skills: Prosperity for all in the global economy — World class skills: Final report. London: Author. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.delni.gov.uk/index/publications/pubs-further-education/the-leitch-reviewof-skills.htmGoogle Scholar
Howard, C., & Davis, P. (2013). Attracting mature students into higher education: The impact of approaches to learning and social identity. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 37, 769–785. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2012.684038#previewCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, H., & Hudson, S. (2011). The Centre for Independent Studies submission to the Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Retrieved December 15, 2012 from https://www.cis.org.au/images/stories/submissions/sub-review-of-higher-education-access-outcomes-181111-hh-sh.pdfGoogle Scholar
Jackson, N. (2008). Educational attainment and the (growing) importance of age structure: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Journal of Population Research, 25, 223–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, R., Krause, K., & Jennings, C. (2010). The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from 1994–2009. Melbourne, Australia: University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
Johns, G. (2010, February 3). Constitution not the issue. The Australian. Retrieved February 3, 2010 from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/constitution-not-the-issue/story-e6frg6zo1225998989186Google Scholar
Kenny, A., Kidd, T., Nankervis, K., & Connell, S. (2011). Mature age students’ access, entry and success in nurse education: An action research study. Contemporary Nurse, 38, 106–118.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keogh, H. (2009). The state and development of adult learning and education in Europe, North America and Israel: Regional synthesis report. Hamburg, Germany: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/INSTITUTES/UIL/confintea/pdf/GRALE/confinteavi_grale_paneurope_synthesis_en.pdfGoogle Scholar
Krause, K., Hartley, R., James, R., & McInnis, C. (2005).The first year experience in Australian universities: Findings from a decade of national studies. Final Report. Prepared for the Australian Government, Canberra, ACT. Retrieved February 15, 2014 from http://www.griffith.edu.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0006/37491/FYEReport05.pdfGoogle Scholar
Lane, J. (2009). Indigenous participation in university education (Executive Summary No. 110). Sydney, Australia: Centre for Independent Studies. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.cis.org.au/publications/issue-analysis/article/788-indigenousparticipation-in-university-educationGoogle Scholar
Lane, J. (2011). Indigenous higher education: A policy game-changer? Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=12840Google Scholar
Lane, J., & Lane, M. (2008). Hard grind — The making of an urban Indigenous population. In Proceedings of the Bennelong Society Conference: The NT Emergency Response: Appraisal and future. Sydney, Australia: The Bennelong Society. Retrieved December 2, 2013 from http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/38309/20091109--0945/conference2008.htmlGoogle Scholar
McMillan, J., & Marks, G.N. (2003). School Leavers in Australia: Profiles and Pathways. Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth Research Report Number 31. Canberra, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research. Retrieved February 15, 2014 from http://research.acer.edu.au/communities.htmlGoogle Scholar
Nakata, M. (2004). Indigenous Australian studies and higher education. Biennial AIATSIS Wentworth Lecture. Retrieved May 23, 2009 from http://www1.aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/wentworth/a352185_a.pdfGoogle Scholar
Nakata, M. (2010). The cultural interface of Islander and scientific knowledge. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39 (Suppl.), 53–57. Retrieved April 10, 2011 from http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=473613845054948;res=IELHSSCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakata, M., Nakata, V., & Chin, M. (2008). Approaches to the academic preparation and support of Australian Indigenous students for tertiary studies. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 37 (Suppl.), 137–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, G. (2011, May 24). Door ajar but still needs a push. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved April 4, 2014 from http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/door-ajar-but-still-needs-a-push20110523--1f0gv.html#ixzz2zlhixkadGoogle Scholar
O’Shea, S., & Stone, C. (2011). Transformations and self-discovery: Mature age women's reflections on returning to university study. Studies in Continuing Education, 33, 273–288. Retrieved 15 December, 2013 from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2011.565046CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Page, S., & Asmar, C. (2008). Beneath the teaching Iceberg: Exposing the hidden support dimensions of Indigenous academic work. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 37 (Suppl.), 109–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, N. (2001). On the human right to misery, mass incarceration and early death. Dr Charles Perkins Memorial Oration presented at the University of Sydney. Retrieved August 8, 2008 from http://sydney.edu.au/koori/news/pearson.pdfGoogle Scholar
Pechenkina, E., & Anderson, I. (2011). Consultation paper on Indigenous Australian Higher Education: Trends, Initiatives and Policy Implications. Prepared for the Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Government, Canberra, ACT. Retrieved November 20, 2013 from http://www.industry.gov.au/highereducation/IndigenousHigherEducation/ReviewOfIndigenousHigherEducation/Documents/CommissionedResearch/PechenkinaAnderson.docGoogle Scholar
Plater, S. (2011). The enablers of and barriers to completion of the Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotion at the University of Sydney (Master of Philosophy thesis). Retrieved from http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au/record=b4178906~S4Google Scholar
Plater, S. (2012). ‘For the life of me, I can't see why those students were let go on so long’: Educating the educators, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander style. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 41, 156–161. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1326011112000245CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purdie, N., & Buckley, S. (2010). School attendance and retention of Indigenous Australian students (Issues Paper No. 1). Canberra, ACT: Australian Government. Retrieved March 12, 2014 from http://www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Publications/2010/g-ip01.pdfGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, H. (1981). The other side of the frontier: Aboriginal resistance to the European invasion of Australia. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales Press Ltd.Google Scholar
Reynolds, H. (1987). Frontier, Aborigines, settlers and land. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Reynolds, H. (1989). Dispossession: Black Australia and White invaders. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Smith, R., Dymock, D., & Billett, S. (2013). Learning and training for sustained employability across working lives. International Journal of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, 5, 85–102.Google Scholar
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (SCRGSP). (2011). Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2011. Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Stone, C., & O’Shea, S.E. (2013). Time, money, leisure and guilt — The gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 53, 95–116.Google Scholar
Tatz, C. (2003). With intent to destroy: Reflections on genocide. London: Verso.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. (2011). Postcolonial transformation of the Australian Indigenous population. Geographical Research, 49, 286–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tones, M.J., Fraser, J., Elder, R.L., & White, K.M. (2009). Supporting mature-aged students from a low socioeconomic background. Higher Education, 58, 505–529. Retrieved November 20, 2013 from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/27765/CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Toynton, R. (2005). Degrees of disciplinarity in equipping mature students in higher education for engagement and success in lifelong learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wyatt, L.G. (2011). Nontraditional student engagement: Increasing adult student success and retention. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59, 10–20. Retrieved 10 March, 2014 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07377363.2011.544977#.U6OYbU2KB6cCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yoo, S.J., & Huang, W.D. (2013). Engaging online adult learners in higher education: Motivational factors impacted by gender, age, and prior experiences. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 61, 151–164. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07377363.2013.836823#.U6OY102KB6cCrossRefGoogle Scholar