Aboriginal students can succeed: Factors influencing the retention, attainment and identity of ten successful Aboriginal students at senior secondary school

Abstract

Although the retention rate of Aboriginal students has improved over the past fifteen years, it is still significantly less than that for all other students, and very few Aboriginal students are completing twelve full years of schooling. The situation is worse in country schools than in large metropolitan areas. Despite the fact that some Aboriginal students do stay at school and succeed little work has been done to identify what factors have helped those Aboriginal students who have done so. In addition, there is relatively little knowledge about how the various school, home, ability and personal factors are interrelated. Therefore, this thesis sets out to explore what has helped ten students in various regional and rural centres in South Australia to stay at school and to succeed when so many of their peers have dropped out of school. The significance of the study lies in its methodology and its positive focus. The literature indicates that a vast range of variables are associated with the retention, attainment and identity of Aboriginal students and that these are interrelated in complex ways. This study uses an assets analysis orientation and case study methodology within the constructivist paradigm to examine these factors and their interrelationships and puts them in perspective for ten Aboriginal students. A causal network matrix model is developed to conceptualise the complex interrelationships. Subsequently, each of the ten richly descriptive case studies are complemented with two causal network matrices. As a consequence this study explores theoretical, methodological and practical issues.