First Peoples' perspectives on successful engagement at university: What keeps students coming back to Indigenous education units?
File version
Version of Record (VoR)
Author(s)
Whatman, Susan
Sammel, Alison
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract
In this article, we present a case study of the nature of First Peoples’ engagement with the GUMURRII Student Success Unit at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Higher education plays a critical role in improving socioeconomic outcomes in First Peoples communities. Recent reports indicate First Peoples are still under-represented at university, with lower participation and higher attrition rates than non-Indigenous students. Previous studies indicate that engagement with Indigenous education units (IEU) improves student progression, retention and success; however, the specific nature of engagement with IEUs from the students’ perspectives has not been widely examined. We address a gap within the literature, seeking to better understand how support services are being contemporarily utilised by First Peoples students. By utilising an Indigenist research design, we offer an interpretation of the lived experiences of First Peoples students to better understand their reasons for engagement with IEUs, and to explore the impact upon their ongoing participation and outcomes in higher education. The findings contribute to broader understandings of the role of IEUs in higher education and illustrate that students engage with them for reasons that extend far beyond traditional tertiary support.
Journal Title
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
52
Issue
1
Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement
© 2023 Becki Cook, Susan Whatman, Alison Sammel. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject
Education systems
Educational administration, management and leadership
Higher education
Education policy, sociology and philosophy
Persistent link to this record
Citation
Cook, B; Whatman, S; Sammel, A, First Peoples' perspectives on successful engagement at university: What keeps students coming back to Indigenous education units?, The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 2023, 52 (1)