First Peoples' perspectives on successful engagement at university: What keeps students coming back to Indigenous education units?

Becki Cook; Susan Whatman; Alison Sammel

doi:10.55146/ajie.v52i1.28

Authors

Becki Cook Griffith University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7124-6054
Susan Whatman Griffith University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5793-0952
Alison Sammel Griffith University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6476-630X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55146/ajie.v52i1.28

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.

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Author Biographies

Becki Cook, Griffith University

Becki Cook is a Nunukul Aboriginal woman who has worked in the education sector for 13 years, with seven being at Griffith’s GUMURRII Student Success Unit. She has completed a Master of Education and Professional Studies Research focusing on First Peoples student engagement. She is currently the Centre Manager at QUT’s Centre for Data Science.

Susan Whatman, Griffith University

Dr Susan Whatman is a researcher and teacher-educator with 30 years of experience in higher education. Susan has published extensively in Indigenous education, recently co-editing an international collection on Indigenizing education with Alison Sammel and Levon Blue. Susan is a co-facilitator of the Ensuring Educational Justice and Equity (EEJE) group in the Griffith Institute of Educational Research.

Alison Sammel, Griffith University

Dr Alison Sammel specialises in the teaching, learning and communication of science, climate action and sustainable development goals. Alison teaches from a critical, posthumanistic perspective and has a strong history of multidisciplinary research with Canadian colleagues about fresh water and climate change. She works closely with communities and educators to support the embedding of local Indigenous cultural perspectives in schools.

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