Cultural mismatch and the education of Aboriginal youths: The interplay of cultural identities and teacher ratings.

Abstract

In response to the enduring "deficit" approach to the educational attainment of Aboriginal students in North America, we hypothesized that academic underperformance is related to a cultural mismatch between Aboriginal students' cultural background, which emphasizes connectedness and interdependence, and the mainstream White model of education, which focuses on independence and assertiveness. The participants included virtually all the secondary students (N = 115) in the Naskapi community of Kawawachikamach, Quebec, Canada. We obtained self-reports of identification with Aboriginal and White culture, teacher reports of assertiveness, and official grades. We found that high identification with either Aboriginal or White culture was related to higher grades, regardless of whether the students were perceived as assertive by their teacher. Conversely, at low levels of cultural identification toward Aboriginal or White culture, being perceived as low in assertiveness by one's teacher predicted lower grades. This suggests that both high cultural identification and assertiveness can contribute to enhancing the educational outcomes of Aboriginal students, but that Aboriginal students with low levels of both cultural identification and assertiveness are at particular risk as they are mismatched with the culture of mainstream schools and do not benefit from the protective effects of identity. The relationships among identity, cultural values, and academic performance point to the need to reject the notion of an inherent deficit in education among Aboriginal youths in favor of a different framework in which success can be attained when alternative ways of being are fostered and nurtured in schools.

Broadening Conceptualization of Native Identity as Foundational for Success among Native Americans in STEM

“…where a strong sense of personal identity provides a core, rooted base that is protective against depression and associated with positive sense of wellbeing. It also dovetails with research by Waterman and colleagues [45][46][47][48] on the positive relationship between Native cultural affiliation and postsecondary academic persistence and completion. Their findings challenge negative assumptions about the ability of individuals who strongly identify as Native to be successful in mainstream education.…”

“…These identity dynamics play-out in the documented educational experience of Native Americans. The academic literature demonstrates that a strong connection to Native culture has been shown to be associated with academic success [17,36,40,[44][45][46][47][48]. Our research builds on these works and on an emerging literature conceptualizing identity issues in relation to STEM education [30,[48][49][50].…”

“…The academic literature demonstrates that a strong connection to Native culture has been shown to be associated with academic success [17,36,40,[44][45][46][47][48]. Our research builds on these works and on an emerging literature conceptualizing identity issues in relation to STEM education [30,[48][49][50]. We are inspired, in particular, by constructions developed by Waterman and colleagues [45][46][47] situating culture and identity as foundational for understanding educational outcomes for Native Americans.…”

Urban American Indian Youth Spirituality and Religion: A Latent Class Analysis

“…Membership in the church may contribute to the formation of a strong cultural identity that facilitates academic competence and better academic performance, a connection shown in research with both Aboriginal and white youth who strongly identify with their cultural heritage (Fryberg et al. ). The relatively high scores of the NAC group on several measures of family functioning suggest a generally supportive family environment that may enhance the child's academic engagement and performance.…”

Development and Evaluation of a Peer Mentorship Program for Aboriginal University Students

“…Given the historical and contemporary issues that Aboriginals have faced, preserving and strengthening their ethnic and cultural identity is crucial. Aboriginal youth with a strong sense of ethnic and cultural identity experience a wealth of positive outcomes such as higher secondary school grades (Fryberg et al, 2013) and increased self-concept clarity and self-esteem among undergraduates (Usborne & Taylor, 2010). Additionally, among…”