Why is Life so Hard for Aboriginal Students in Urban Classrooms? 1
Abstract
This paper is a report on a recent study of urban Aboriginal children at home and at school, in Adelaide It will mostly describe the situation for just three of the students in one reception/Year one classroom, as they are representative of many Aboriginal students in the other classroom which was closely studied, and in classroom whose teachers I interviewed, or who were observed by me. In other words, the situation that I am describing for Naomi, Jason and Terry is, I believe, similar to the situation for many young Aboriginal students in urban classrooms in South Australia. Naomi, Jason and Terry were three physically attractive, energetic, bright and curious five year olds. Outside the classroom they were articulate and confident but inside the classroom, by the end of the year, they were in the lowest academic group for their age, considered troublesome by their teacher, and were largely ostracised by their non-Aboriginal peers.
References
Coombs H.C., Brandl M.M. and Snowdon W.E. 1983 A Certain Heritage: Programs for and by Aboriginal Families in Australia. Canberra: Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies.
Eades Diana M. 1982“ You gotta know how to talk …” Information seeking in south east Queensland Aboriginal society. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 2, 61- 82.
Erickson Frederick D. and Shultz Jeffrey 1982 Counselors as Gatekeepers: Social Interaction in Interviews. New York: Academic Press.
Harris Stephen G. 1980/ 84 Culture and Learning: Tradition and Education in North-East Arnhem Land. Darwin: Northern Territory Department of Education, and also Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Kuper , Adam , and Kuper , Jessica (Eds) 1985 The Social Sciences Encyclopedia. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Malin Merridy 1989 Invisibility in Success, Visibility in Transgression for the Aboriginal Child in the Urban Classroom: Case Studies at Home and School in Adelaide. University of Minnesota PhD Dissertation.
