Indigenous students: Barriers and success strategies-A review of existing literature

Abstract

There are many factors that effect the post-secondary completion rate of Indigenous students. The Indigenous student completion rate is a reflection of the number of students entering post-secondary education but is significantly affected by withdrawal rates (institutional withdrawals and student voluntary withdrawals). In the Saskatchewan Polytechnic School of Nursing, the Indigenous student withdrawal rate was 4.2% higher than the total nursing student population. Lower success rates among Indigenous students is a concerning issue in nursing programs. Continuing to operate programs and teach in the same fashion is not improving success rates. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (2012) highlighted the need to examine strategies and develop policies to enhance Indigenous student success. To this end, recent literature was reviewed to determine trends among Indigenous nursing students, their struggles, and more importantly, the successful strategies currently being implemented. Indigenous peoples are not a homogenous group; rather, they are a mosaic of cultures, languages and nations. The authors examined the literature to determine key factors that enabled or prevented the success of post-secondary Indigenous students. Twenty-one articles on current research regarding Indigenous student success facilitators and barriers were examined. These articles encompassed research from Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The purpose of this literature review was to identify themes and gaps, drive positive change in education, and guide future research. The research team found four common themes: academic preparedness, cultural safety, intrinsic student factors, and student support.

Higher Education Experiences of Underrepresented Populations: A Literature Review on Indigenous and Racialized International Students

“…Furthermore, Numerous studies (almost all Canadian and international articles) have suggested that Indigenous students' experience lower levels of high school graduation rates and/or academic preparedness in multiple subject areas for higher education (Nakata, 2004;Nelson, 2019;Preston, 2008). As such, lower graduation rates and/or inadequate academic preparation for higher education was described as a major or critical barrier of Indigenous students' academic attainment and success in higher education (Harper and Thompson, 2017;Stonechild, 2008).…”

First-generation scholar in Indonesian indigenous family tribe: economic, social, and cultural capital

“…In the United States, 36.2% of students from indigenous tribe entered college and completed studying in six years [25]. In Canada, less than 33.9% of indigenous people aged 25-64 achieve a post-secondary degree while non-indigenous reach 54% [26]. In Malaysia, native education has a high dropping out rate compared to other students, specifically in Terengganu, 83.4% of natives dropped out of school over the years [27].…”