Supporting Success: Aboriginal Students in Higher Education

Abstract

Pour la plupart des étudiants autochtones du Canada, la notion de « réussite » dans un contexte d'éducation postsecondaire est plus complexe que les notions communément admises par rapport à l'avancement professionnel et à l'amélioration du statut socioéconomique. D'un point de vue historique, la « réussite » des peuples autochtones en termes d'éducation postsecondaire est liée aux questions d'assimilation. En effet, réussir signifiait de s'adapter totalement aux habitudes et aux valeurs des établissements postsecondaires de l'époque. De nos jours, on reconnaît le rôle important que joue l'éducation postsecondaire dans le renforcement des capacités des communautés autochtones afin qu'elles atteignent leurs objectifs d'autodétermination et d'autonomie gouvernementale. Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude qualitative menée dans un établissement postsecondaire canadien de taille moyenne. Les résultats suggèrent que les établissements désireux d'encourager les étudiants autochtones à poursuivre leurs études postsecondaires se doivent de mieux comprendre comment forger des rapports positifs entre étudiants, Autochtones et professeurs afin de fournir un meilleur accompagnement aux étudiants autochtones. Ces relations positives devront ensuite être officialisées et intégrées dans le cadre d'une planification institutionnelle et d'un soutien pédagogique aux professeurs.

According to [Pidgeon]'s (2008a) research findings, success for Aboriginal peoples in postsecondary education also includes the "ability to maintain cultural integrity," "finding their gifts," and "responsibility of reciprocity." Specifically, "maintaining cultural integrity," involves "having a sense of oneself and keeping hold of one's Indigenous understandings" (Pidgeon, 2008a, p. 143). An Aboriginal student's ability to "find their gifts" was defined as the capacity to do whatever a person envisions for himself or herself (Pidgeon, 2008a). The "responsibility of reciprocity" is the ability to give back to larger Indigenous communities (Pidgeon, 2008a). As such, for many Aboriginal students higher education is recognized as an important tool for capacity building and assisting Aboriginal communities to achieve their goals of self-determination and self-government ([M. Battiste], Bell, & Findlay, 2002; Danziger, 1996; Pidgeon, 2008a; Stonechild, 2006; Wildcat, 2001). Unfortunately, given that many Aboriginal students experience far more marginalization than their non-Aboriginal peers, they are more likely to face challenges navigating university and college systems, becoming fully engaged in their academic pursuits (Manifold & Rambur, 2001; Pidgeon, 2008a, 2008b; Pijl-Zieber & Hagen, 2011), and ultimately achieving success on their terms, and as they define it.

The 1996 report generated by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) also explored the impact of Canada's education system on its First Nations people. The report concluded that in addition to significant challenges within the K-12 education system, many colleges and universities also tended to be assimilative and that "everyone is expected to fit in" (RCAP, 1996, p. 476). Today, research still indicates a strong correlation between the specific educational systems set out for Aboriginal people of the past, and the current experiences they have in the prominent Eurocentric educational institutions ([Nicole Bastien], 2004; Harrington & Pavel, 2013; Ireland, 2009; Pidgeon, Archibald, & Hawkey, 2014; Waller et al., 2002). Kirkness and [Barnhardt, R] (2001) note that postsecondary schools have increased the pressure on Aboriginal students to adjust and shift to the culture of the institutions, which is similar to the historic Aboriginal colonial experiences in Canada. In addition, Aboriginal students are still confronted with marginalization on a day-to-day basis. For instance, Aboriginal students who experience negative stereotypes and prejudices from other students or faculty are further disadvantaged by inaccurate portrayals of Aboriginal peoples in the curriculum (Harrington & Pavel, 2013; Ireland, 2009; Kirkness & Barnhardt, 2001; Timmons, 2009). As such, the colonial legacy of Canada's educational system cannot be ignored within higher education, primarily because this system has been, and continues to be, both a hidden and overt model of colonization (Antone, 2000; Barnhardt, 1992, 2002; Battiste, 2000, Battiste & Barman, 1995; Battiste & Henderson, 2000; Deloria, 2001; Pidgeon, 2008b; Urion, 1999).