Mentoring indigenous secondary school students to raise educational aspirations

Louth, Sharon (2013) Mentoring indigenous secondary school students to raise educational aspirations. In: 6th Annual International Mentoring Institute Conference 2013: Impact and Effectiveness of Developmental Relationships, 29 Oct-1 Nov 2013 , Albuquerque, NM. United States.

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Abstract

A critical topic within Australian Universities centres on improving opportunities for Australian and Torres Strait Islander people to undertake higher education. This paper examines the challenges that exist when inspiring and motivating Indigenous students to consider higher education. It discusses a University project which involved the collaborative efforts of key community stakeholders and consisted of a series of positive learning experiences for Indigenous secondary school students in a regional University. This project sought to engage the hearts and minds of individual students to broaden their educational aspirations, and explored factors which influenced their educational attainment.
The results of this research indicate the positive outcomes on students' educational aspirations. The study reveals the power of family and community in determining student success or failure at school and the implications for Indigenous students considering higher educational studies.
The research found that effective mentoring would be beneficial to focus upon achieving a balance between supporting students and educating their families about the demands of higher education for their children. In order to raise educational aspirations for Indigenous secondary school students, university mentoring programs could align and support students' connections to family and community. Recommendations for further research into mentoring programs to investigate ways to strengthen the connections between a University and the students' external support structures in order for them to succeed in higher education are suggested.

Statistics for this ePrint Item

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Commonwealth Reporting Category E) (Paper)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	© The University of New Mexico.
Faculty / Department / School:	Current - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Teacher Education and Early Childhood
Date Deposited:	30 May 2014 03:28
Last Modified:	27 Sep 2017 03:18
Uncontrolled Keywords:	mentoring; indigenous education; educational aspirations
Fields of Research :	17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170103 Educational Psychology 20 Language, Communication and Culture > 2002 Cultural Studies > 200299 Cultural Studies not elsewhere classified 13 Education > 1303 Specialist Studies in Education > 130301 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
Socio-Economic Objective:	C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9304 School/Institution > 930403 School/Institution Policies and Development C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9304 School/Institution > 930402 School/Institution Community and Environment C Society > 93 Education and Training > 9301 Learner and Learning > 930104 Moral and Social Development (incl. Affect)
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/24726

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