Problems of Aboriginal Education - Research Paper Example

Running Head: ABORIGINAL EDUCATION Aboriginal education Name Course Instructor Date ACTION RESEARCH: PROBLEMS OF ABORIGINAL EDUCATION Identification of problem The Aboriginal people are considered the most educationally disadvantaged community in Australia. Their participation in all levels of education is clearly unequal and restricted in comparison with non-Indigenous Australians (DEST, 2004). Many of them live in remote areas within Australia which limits their accessibility to high quality education found in the urban areas. Most of the Aboriginal students are adversely affected by poverty and suffer from constant health problems, with the most common being otitis media (Malin and CRCATH, 2003). These factors negatively affect their learning outcomes. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002), infectious diseases and infant mortality rates is highest among Australian Aborigines and it is estimated that their life expectancy is lower by 15 to 20 years than that of their non-Aborigine counterparts. MCEETYA (2000) points out that these facts have been a major area of concern by the Australian Government that seeks to clear the gap and to bring educational equity among all Australians. Research continues to be conducted across the country in order to establish strategies of enhancing teaching and learning of Aboriginal students. Having worked as a teacher for many years I possess first hand evidence about some problems effecting education of Aboriginal students. I therefore, conducted an action research which forms the basis of my research project that will be conducted later. The action research was based on secondary sources which include previous researches conducted by teachers in Australian Aboriginal schools who sought strategies of improving the learning outcomes of Aboriginal students. The action research will examine educational practices within schools and how they affect Aboriginal students and identify ways in which they can be improved (Reason and Bradbury, 2008). All techniques of research will be utilized. The research question being focused in this paper is “what are some of the educational problems of the Aboriginal people and how can they be eliminated?” Collection and organization of data Secondary sources of data were used for the study. Being an international student, it was not possible to use primary sources such as interviews, focus groups or questionnaires to gather data directly from the schools and therefore secondary sources would most appropriate for this particular study. Technical reports accounted for the largest portion of the data collected. These reports were action plans conducted in the past by various teachers in Aboriginal schools. In order to achieve this, permission was requested from school principals to get access to private school libraries where many of these documents are stored. Besides that, some of the technical reports were accessed in public libraries as well as the internet. Scholarly journals were essentially important sources of data for this particular study. Journals contain reports of experimentations or original researches on specific fields. The topic of Aboriginal education has been a pressing issue in Australia for many decades which has ultimately prompted several researches. Therefore, there was a wealth of information in journal which was found in the internet as well as public and university libraries. Video recordings during interviews conducted in the past by teachers were also useful sources of data. Other sources were reference books including handbooks and encyclopedias. Conference discussion papers and governments reports retrieved from the government archives provided useful information about the issue under investigation. Interpretation of data The data was not quantifiable hence could be analyzed without the use of statistical methods (Wang and Odell, 2002). The major themes that came up with regard to the problems that affected the education of Aboriginal students were poverty, discrimination and intimidation by non-Indigenous teachers, health problems, geographical dispersion and basically indirect denial of their education rights. Majority of the students in Aboriginalschools demonstrated lack of proficiency in use of Standard Australian English (DETYA, 2000a). Aborigines, as earlier noted, are mainly concentrated in geographically remote regions of Australia and as a result become socially segregated and lack the chance to interact with the non-Aborigines who are good at English (Najman et al, 2004). This cycle has been noted across generations which make it difficult for those who enter schools to learn the English language in a sufficient manner. This problem has a direct impact on the learning outcomes of the Aborigines since the syllabus in the English language. Another pressing problem brought out in the research is poverty. Aboriginal people are still oppressed and discriminated upon in terms of employment opportunities. In actual fact many of the Aborigines are subordinates to the non-Aborigines earning very low incomes. Trudgen (2003) notes many of the Aboriginal families can only afford two meals in day which then implies that their students have to go without lunch. This again explains their deteriorating grades against their counterparts. Non-Aboriginal teachers posted to work in Aboriginal schools also do play a major part in the negative educational outcomes of students in such schools. Majority of the students demonstrated dislike for their non-Aboriginal teachers and they preferred to have teachers of their race. They revealed that besides receiving unfair treatment these teachers also failed them in exams without justification (Howard, 2001). Health issue is another major theme that came up during the research. Aboriginal students suffer malnutrition in addition to other persisting health complications such as skin infections due to lack of proper diets. Mental disorders are also quite prevalent among these students as most of them feel they are less useful in society and lack certainty concerning their future lives and therefore, end up becoming stressed and even depressed. Additionally, they lack sufficient parental care and love which causes many of them to end up in drugs and criminal activities. Nakata (2002) states that, separations and divorce rates are quite high among Aboriginal people and this has adverse effects on the education outcomes of their children. Action based on data The data collected above has shown clear cut evidence of the disturbing situation in Aboriginal schools. There is however much that can be done by teachers in these schools to alleviate the situation. A common notion among Australians is that educating Aboriginal people is difficult and this has greatly contributed to widening of the gap between Aborigines and non-Aborigines instead of closing it up (Mellor and Corrigan 2004). Bartlett (2002) highly opposes this statement and asserts that everyone has an equal capability of learning. Crawford and Tantiprasut (2003) suggest that an effective way of achieving education liberty among the Aboriginal people will begin by an affirmative action by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers to close the cultural gap that exists between the two groups. Cultural competence is mandatory for any professional and by definition it means learning, accepting and appreciating the cultures of others (DIA, 2005). Evidently, all Aboriginal students are different and it is for this reason that all teachers should develop teaching strategies aimed at empowering and engaging Aboriginal students within a learning context that is significantly diverse (Purdie et al, 2000). Formation of networks and partnerships between teachers, students and parents should be encouraged. According to HREOC (2000), such networks will not only increase cultural competence among the parties but also eliminate stereotyping of minorities in society. Teachers should regularly conduct forums to advise parents on ways they can enhance positive outcomes in their children. In addition, they could start up community service initiatives such as holding English learning sessions for parents and offering them nutrition education. Access to health care services for Aboriginal people is still a problem which is the reason why their mortality rates are high. It is advisable that teachers engage in public education concerning the culture of Aboriginal people in order to do away with these detrimental effects resulting from discrimination. Public education will enable the non-Aboriginal Australians to understand and appreciate the cultures of Aborigines which will ultimately lead to social cohesion and integration of Aboriginal people. Consequently, students will get motivation in their studies due to the assurance of employments places once they have completed their studies (Bartlett, 2002). Aboriginal people are looking forward to a dramatic shift to pedagogies that reflect a sense of belonging of students within the school setting. Tantiprasut (2003) maintains that a school should be a place where students have a feeling of belongingness to the society and it’s a ground upon which social injustices and inequalities are abolished. A climate of connectedness and collaboration within these schools can be achieved if teachers are ready to provide ‘hand-on’ experience with their students which will ultimately convey the social meaning of education in the minds of the students. Purdie et al (2000) states that, response of Aboriginal students towards education occurs best when they have a personal and positive relationship with their teachers. The students need to have the assurance of the positive returns after the long journey through their education. Therefore, teachers need to mentor the students and constantly remind them of employment opportunities after education. Conclusion The action research has clearly provided the full spectrum of issues affecting education of Aboriginal students. The main problems that came up in the research are poverty, discrimination, health problems and geographical dispersion. As a result of these, students are not able to exploit their full potential and end up becoming mentally tormented. The action research therefore, has provided reliable evidence to make proposals about changes that need to be executed in Aboriginal schools in order to bring educational equity among all communities in Australia. Since both parents and teachers are key stakeholders in the educations outcomes of students, they need to work closely through collaborations and networks so as to encourage positive results. References Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2002). Australian social trends: Health, mortality and morbidity: Mortality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Canberra; Author. Bartlett. A. (2002). The Aboriginal peoples of Australia. Minneapolis: Learner. Crawford, J. and Tantiprasut, L. (2003). Australian Aboriginal culture. [Westren Australia]: R.I.C. publications. Department of Education, Science and Training (2004). A guide for Aboriginal student support and parent awareness (ASSPA) committees . [Online] Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training. Retrieved don 3rd March 2012 from URL: http://www .dest .gov .au/sectors/indigenous_education/publications_resources/profiles/guide_for_aboriginal_student_support .htm. Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. (2000a). National indigenous English literacy and numeracy strategy 2000 – 2004. Canberra: Author. Department of Indigenous Affairs .(2005). Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage in Western Australia Report . Perth; Department of Indigenous Affairs. Howard, P. (2001). Beliefs about the nature and learning of mathematics in Years 5 and 6: The voices ofAboriginal children, parents, Aboriginal educators and teachers. Unpublished PhD dissertation. Sydney: University of Western Sydney. HREOC (2000). Emerging themes: National inquiry into rural and remote education. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). Malin, M., & CRCATH (2003). Is schooling good for Aboriginal children's health? Casuarina, Northern Territory, Australia: The Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health. MCEETYA (2000). Achieving education equality for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Retrieved on 3rd March 2012 from http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/reporta_file.pdf. MCEETYA (2006). Australian direction in indigenous education. Retrieved on 3rd March 2012 from http://www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Australian_Directions_in_Indigenous_Education_2005-2008.pdf. Mellor S, and Corrigan M . (2004). The case for change: A review of contemporary research in Indigenous education outcomes . Melbourne: Australian Council of Educational Research. Najman, J., Aird, R., Bor, W., O'Callaghan, M., Williams, G., & Shuttlewood, G. J. (2004). 'The generational transmission of socioeconomic inequalities in child cognitive development and emotional health.' Social Science and Medicine, 58(6), 1147. Nakata, M. (2002). Indigenous knowledge and the cultural interface: Underlying issues at the intersection of knowledge and information systems. Annual Lecture at Jumbunna, University of Technology, Sydney. Purdie, N., Tripcony, P., Boulton-Lewis, G., Fanshawe, J. and Gunstone A . (2000). Positive self-identity for Indigenous students and its relationship to school outcomes. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. Reason, P. and Bradbury, H. (2008). The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice. London: SAGE. Trudgen, R. (2003). Why warriors lie down and die. Darwin, Australia: Aboriginal Resources and Development Inc. Wang, J. & Odell, S. J. (2002). 'Mentored learning to teach according to standards-based reform: A critical review.' Review of Educational Research, 72(99), 481-546. Read More