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The Challenge for Counsellors: Understanding and Addressing Indigenous Secondary Students' Aspirations, Self-concepts and Barriers to Achieving their Aspirations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

Rhonda G. Craven  and
Herbert W. Marsh
Rhonda G. Craven*
Affiliation:
SELF Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Australia
Herbert W. Marsh
Affiliation:
SELF Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Australia
*
Deputy Director, SELF Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Bankstown Campus, Penrith South DC NSW 1797, Australia. Email: r.craven@uws.edu.au
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Abstract

Indigenous students are not attaining the same educational and employment outcomes as non-Indigenous students. Psychological constructs have been demonstrated by research with non-Indigenous Australians to impact upon desirable educational outcomes; however, there is a dearth of Aboriginal education research that has identified psychological constructs of salience to Indigenous students. The purpose of this study was to: (a) evaluate the self-concepts of Indigenous secondary students; (b) identify Indigenous students' aspirations; (c) elucidate Indigenous students' perceptions of barriers faced in attaining their aspirations; and (d) compare and contrast the pattern of results for Indigenous students to results for non-Indigenous students from the same schools. A total of 1686 students (517 Indigenous and 1151 non-Indigenous) from urban and rural regions from three Australian States participated. Indigenous students displayed statistically significantly lower academic (school, maths, verbal) self-concepts in comparison to non-Indigenous students. Significantly more Indigenous students in comparison to non-Indigenous students aspired to leaving school early, attending Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions and were less likely to know much about what sort of job or further education and training they could pursue after leaving school. Indigenous students also rated nine potential barriers with significantly higher scores compared to non-Indigenous students in regard to limiting or stopping them from achieving what they want to do. The results have important implications for career education and counselling interventions in educational contexts.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , July 2004 , pp. 16 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

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