Exploring the Link Between School Attendance, Developmental Assets, and Social Capital in a First Nations Community

Abstract

Abstract:In Alberta, concerns about the state of educational achievement among First Nations students have been widely reported. Academic literature has well established the link between poor school performance and delinquency. Miyo Wahkohtowin Community Education Authority of Ermineskin First Nation in Hobbema ("Miyo") has identified one of its major concerns to be low attendance rates among many students. Based on the significant body of work related to risk and protective factors in school-aged children by the Search Institute of Minneapolis, and research related to social capital in Aboriginal communities by Mignone and O'Neil (2005) and others, this study draws on the standard Developmental Asset Profile developed by the Search Institute, and Mignone and O'Neil's (2005) standardized questions related to cultural and social capital in Aboriginal communities. Results from a survey administered to high school age students (n = 69) and attendance rates for the students, reveal a strong correlation between attendance rates and developmental asset scores. On the other hand, no correlation was revealed between attendance rates and sense of cultural heritage, or perceptions of a positive community context. Implications for building assets and social capital among youth, and strengthening community attachments are discussed.

Absent on Absenteeism: Academic Silence on Student Absenteeism in Canadian Education

“…However, much of this literature is disjointed, with few of the same authors publishing on absenteeism more than once. Moreover, the majority of the authors are from fields other than education, such as health (French et al, 2013;Glaab et al, 2005;Ward et al, 2019); sports studies (Chard et al, 2020); and family studies (Sanderson et al, 2013). There are some education-based absenteeism studies (Birioukov, 2016;Birioukov-Brant & Brant-Birioukov, 2019;Carter & Leschied, 2010;Correia, 1996;Cowans, 2008;Darwich et al, 2012;Vellos & Vadeboncoeur, 2013); however, few of these research projects studied absenteeism for its own sake (Corville-Smith et al, 1998), instead viewing it as one of many variables (e.g., modifying the scheduling of youth athletic tournaments to minimize absenteeism).…”