The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education

Editorial

Bronwyn Fredericks — 2023-12-03

We are pleased to bring you Volume 52 Issue 2 of The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. The journal celebrated its 50^th anniversary this year and we held a special event with Elders, community members, editorial board members, staff and students from a number of universities. We also welcomed a new editorial board to AJIE this year and we thank them for their service to the journal.

Transformation at the cultural interface: Exploring the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students

Braden Hill — 2023-12-03

Research on transformative learning (Mezirow, 1991), particularly within the context of higher education, has demonstrated the significant impact university learning can have on a wide range of cohorts across diverse learning contexts. However, the extensive body of literature pertaining to transformative learning remains largely silent on the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students and the extent to which their engagement with academia can be transformative. Nevertheless, Nakata’s (2007b) cultural interface theory has shaped policy, practice and thought in Indigenous higher education, elucidating the nuances, complexities and challenges that confront Indigenous students in their journey through university. In bringing together these two critical theories, this study investigated the journeys of three undergraduate Indigenous university students finding that university can indeed be a site of positive personal transformation. Such changes were fostered through critical peer support relationships, relationships with family and loved ones as well as a growing confidence and pride in their cultural identities. These findings have important implications for the way institutions support and teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and provides a nuanced insight into their university journeys at the cultural interface.

Growing learning dispositions in Indigenous studies

Ailie McDowall — 2023-12-03

Indigenous studies has come a long way. In this paper, we share some bold steps we have taken to develop a learning process that situates Indigenous people as a people of place, a people of knowledge and a people of science. This teaching disengages students from learning about Indigenous people as remnants of the past. We extend earlier conversations by focusing on the development of learning dispositions which enable students to better navigate the complexities of the interface between Indigenous and non-Indigenous ideas. This reflection on practice contributes to ongoing discussions about the establishment of Indigenous studies as a discipline.

Relational learning: Embedding Indigenous ways in whitestream social work

Libby Hammond — 2023-12-03

Social work globally acknowledges its need to decolonise its education to produce social workers who can work responsively alongside marginalised Indigenous peoples. Yet the problem is that universities have struggled to operationalise the integration of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing into social work education. Uniquely, this study explored relationships that impact on the integration of Indigenous content for academics in social work education. A qualitative approach was used, interviewing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. The outcome of the study produced a relational model for academics that focuses upon six key relationships an academic has: to self; with students; to Indigenous knowledges, languages and cultures; with peers; with those in power and the whitestream; with elders, kaumatuas and Indigenous communities. With the goal of decolonising social work education, this relational model provides insight into different ways that an academic may develop and embed their integration of Indigenous content into their teaching. This study offers a relational model that could promote curriculum change in social work, as well as in other disciplines beyond Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Evaluation of Yantiin Kalabara – 5 Ways to a Healthier You: A primary school-based education program targeting healthy living choices through interactive workshops

Mark Babic — 2023-12-03

The aim of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate the novel one-day, school-based health education program Yantiin Kalabara that embedded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and perspectives within a series of interactive learning stations. In consultation with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, the program was designed to encourage healthy lifestyle choices and promote strong, sustainable and mutually respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Aboriginal Australians. It involved five primary schools within the Awabakal, Wonnarua, Darkinjung and Worimi Countries (Australia) in movement-based and culturally rich learning activities. The feasibility of the program for use in primary schools and preliminary efficacy for affecting change in key health behaviours (physical activity, nutrition, screen-time) was assessed using student questionnaires.

Yantiin Kalabara was delivered by the Hunter Primary Care team and volunteers. Students reported that it helped them improve their overall health, physical activity, eating habits and screen-time patterns. We have demonstrated that the program can be feasibly delivered in primary schools, and that the program was efficacious in affecting positive changes in key health behaviours of participating children. However, further evaluation in larger and more diverse populations using a randomised controlled trial is warranted.

Embedding speech pathology in an Aboriginal community-controlled playgroup: Perceptions from the community

Gwendalyn Webb — 2023-12-03

Colonisation in Australia has had long-term, pervasive, detrimental impacts on Indigenous Australians. When measured by national benchmarks, Indigenous children in Australia are currently at increased risk of developmental difficulties in comparison to their non-Indigenous peers. Community-led initiatives, such as playgroups, can provide safe and developmentally stimulating environments for Indigenous infants and young children, and deliver lasting benefits. These contexts also provide opportunities for collaborative approaches to develop children’s early communication skills. A participatory action research approach was applied to explore parent/carer perspectives about incorporating speech pathology into an existing community-led Aboriginal playgroup in an urban context. The speech pathology service took the form of information sharing sessions between the speech pathologist and the playgroup members. Collaborative planning and implementation of the project was followed by discussion among the participants and co-researchers about the cultural safety and helpfulness of the speech pathology service. The complexity of incorporating services delivered by non-Indigenous people in an Aboriginal community-controlled playgroup was acknowledged. The information sharing sessions were regarded as helpful and acceptable by the community. However, in the planning and implementation of the service, cultural and community needs must be considered as a precedent and priority to ensure a culturally safe and strong environment.

Highlighting the voice of Indigenous communities for education: Findings from a case study in rural Chile

Angela Baeza — 2023-12-03

The issue of how to best address Indigenous education needs has long been a public debate. There has been much discussion in the educational system, at policy levels and at universities. However, little is known about the perception of Indigenous peoples in regard to the education that their children are receiving or how to incorporate their traditional knowledge inside the classroom. This paper shares such a study and explores the views of Indigenous people living in rural communities of the Atacama Desert of Chile. Views are shared about the needs of their children and that of teacher education. Using a decolonising rights-based methodology, the study aimed to highlight the voices of Atacameños people, who talked about their relationship with schoolteachers, their role in supporting schools and the role of the traditional educator. Findings suggest that even though Indigenous community members perceived their engagement as key in incorporating local knowledge inside the classroom, they realised they are not actively participating in school organisation. There is also a perception that the role of the traditional educator needs to be valued more because they are crucial for reducing the gap between the Indigenous community and local schools.

Towards a fairer and more ‘tika’ political science and politics: Are political science programs equipping students adequately for Aotearoa realities?

Annie Te One — 2023-12-03

Social and political change is occurring in Aotearoa New Zealand and tikanga, mātauranga, te reo Māori (the Māori language) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) are increasingly being recognised in diverse political and legal contexts. This article explores whether the political science discipline is keeping pace with these political changes, whether research and course content is adequately reflecting these new realities, and if students are appropriately equipped to participate. In particular, we examine the state of university politics programs and outline the form and quantity of Māori politics in the teaching and research of these programs. From the assessment of the current state of politics programs, we make some observations about what changes may be required to ensure politics programs, their students and academics are fully equipped to work in the unique political and legal landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand. Approximately 1% of political science lecturers are Māori, 1% of content taught can be classified as Māori politics and approximately 1% of publications in the New Zealand Political Science journal can be classified as kaupapa Māori politics. This 1–1–1 crisis provides a bleak picture of the existing arrangements in politics programs in Aotearoa New Zealand and must change.