Elementary-Age Tasks, Cultural Identity, and the Academic Performance of Young American Indian Children

Promoting School Achievement among American Indian Students Throughout the School Years

“…Yet school failure appears to be acquired rather than inherent at the onset of schooling. Many researchers have reported that American Indian children function at an average range academically until the 4th grade; by 10th grade, however, they are, on average, three years behind their nonNative peers (Homett, 1990;Rampaul, Singh, & Didyk, 1984;Safran, Safran, & Pirozak, 1994). The reasons for this "crossoverR effect are not clear, although a combination of school, family, and student characteristics most likely is at work.…”

“…Elementary curricula and instructional methods may be more aligned to Native cultural values (e.g., cooperation, thematic or holistic learning, oral recital) than those in the later grades. Homett (1990) suggests that developmental changes within the child contribute to the cultural gap. He argued that as American Indian children develop, they gain social awareness and their cultural identity becomes stronger; thus, they become more cognizant of the cultural disconnect between their nonIndian school and their Indian culture.…”

Teachers’ Multicultural Awareness and the Ethnic Identity of Minority Students: An Individual Case Study of a Hani Student

“…The case study also found that the major problem in the interaction among teachers and minorities in this school was that the teachers were not familiar with their minority students' cultures. Because the teachers had a different cultural background from their students, students' behaviors or attitudes, which were taken for granted in their minority culture, had the potential to be misunderstood or neglected by their teachers (Hornett, 1990). Teachers who are interested in students' cultural backgrounds and respect these cultures appear to be rare.…”

Dancing with Ethnic Identities: How a Taiwan Aboriginal Dance Club Influenced Junior High Students

“…If this positive self-identity does not develop, individuals stay in the second stage and struggle with giving up their ethnic identity. Hornett (1990) found that when minority ethnic group children go to school they learn the mainstream culture and may deny their ethnic group, trying to pass as members of the dominant culture. As a result, minority children may develop negative attitudes toward their own ethnic group.…”