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Long-lasting educational engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Where are the Ghundus (children)? A longitudinal study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2019

Sharon Louth Open the ORCID record for Sharon Louth [Opens in a new window] ,
Keane Wheeler  and
Joyce Bonner
Sharon Louth*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Health, Education & Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast Fraser Coast Campus Hervey Bay, Queensland 4655, Australia
Keane Wheeler
Affiliation:
Institute of Korrie Education, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
Joyce Bonner
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Health, Education & Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast Fraser Coast Campus Hervey Bay, Queensland 4655, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Sharon Louth, E-mail: slouth@usc.edu.au
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Abstract

This paper is a retrospective exploration of the long-term and deep-reaching impact of an educational aspirations program, Burunga M Gambay (Learning together) (BMG, 2012), on the career pathways and life-long learning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students. The current project, where are the Ghundus (children)? (2017) follows a phenomenological research design by seeking to describe and interpret the long-term effectiveness of BMG through the experiences of the participants and the career pathways they have followed since the program. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed iteratively using nVivo 11. The program influenced the participants positively in four major areas: cultural identity, sharing culture, motivation and future aspirations. Notably, all participants completed senior school and added to their qualifications since school and are currently in paid employment. The implications of these findings suggest that future educational aspirations programs be co-constructed with the community to ensure cultural validity and a sense of connectedness. This will, as a result, ensure that the positive effects of such programs are long-lasting and deep-reaching in the educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Keywords

Aboriginalcultural competencecultural validationstudent engagementTorres Strait Islander
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , August 2021 , pp. 107 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2019

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