Towards a Kimberley Aboriginal way of doing research

Anna Dwyer; Judith Wilks; John Guenther; Sandra Wooltorton

doi:10.55146/ajie.v55i1.1961

Authors

Anna Dwyer Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia
Judith Wilks Southern Cross University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4725-8741
John Guenther Batchelor Institute of Tertiary Education; Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0080-1698
Sandra Wooltorton Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55146/ajie.v55i1.1961

Keywords:

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander tertiary students, remote education, cultural safety, Indigenous student engagement, Aboriginal leadership in research

Abstract

This paper presents an Aboriginal-led study of higher education with Aboriginal students from remote and very remote communities in the West Kimberley, exploring the experiences of Aboriginal students studying in Australian universities. Drawing on an Indigenist methodology grounded in political integrity, resistance to colonial domination and privileging Aboriginal voice, the research identifies two interconnected gaps: limited cultural understanding within universities, and uneven access to knowledge about university systems and practices among students. Findings from yarning conducted with 20 students living and studying in remote and very remote locations show that these gaps can contribute to feelings of isolation, cultural disconnection and structural barriers, despite students’ strong aspirations grounded in kinship, culture and community. This paper argues that addressing both gaps requires universities to work relationally; embed Aboriginal knowledge systems, values and care; and co-create pathways that support Aboriginal students to flourish on their own terms. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of Aboriginal leadership in shaping research, and stresses the value of creating culturally secure, two-way educational practices in learning environments in higher education.

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Author Biographies

Anna Dwyer, Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia

Anna Dwyer is a Karajarri Woman from the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. She has been an educator and researcher with the Nulungu Research Institute for more than 10 years. Anna’s interest is doing research for her own people and the wider Aboriginal community around the relationship to Country, language and culture.

Judith Wilks, Southern Cross University

Dr Judith Wilks is Adjunct Associate Professor at Southern Cross University and also Adjunct Associate Professor with the Nulungu Research Institute of the University of Notre Dame Australia. She is an experienced educator with a significant research, teaching and community engagement track record in regional education services delivery in both the higher education and schooling sectors. Judith has been an active member of a national research collaboration (Nulungu Research Institute) that has sought to promote access, participation and success in higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students living in remote locations.

John Guenther, Batchelor Institute of Tertiary Education; Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia

Professor John Guenther is a researcher with 20 years’ experience working in overlapping fields of social inquiry, typically in areas related to education and training, and its intersections with mental health and wellbeing, justice, employment, child protection, and welfare. In the last 15 years he has more intentionally focused on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote parts of Australia. He is currently the Research Leader for Education and Training with the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, based in Darwin, Northern Territory. John is a leading academic in the field of remote education and has published widely on his findings, often under the banner of Red Dirt Thinking.

Sandra Wooltorton, Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia

Sandra Wooltorton has been a Professor and Senior Research Fellow with the Nulungu Research Institute at the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Broome campus since 2015. Sandra comes from Noongar Country in southwest Western Australia, and has a passion for Aboriginal education and a commitment to environmental and social justice.

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