When Dreams Come True: Recruiting, Retaining, Reintegrating, Researching Native American Students

1
When Dreams Come TrueRecruiting, Retaining,
Reintegrating, ResearchingNative American
Students
Timothy R. EcklundNINLHE Institute 2006July 24,
2006Mohegan Sun
2
The Instruction Paradigm

• Knowledge exists out there
• Knowledge comes in chunks and bits delivered
  by instructors
• Learning is cumulative and linear
• Fits the storehouse of knowledge metaphor
• Learning is teacher centered and controlled
• Live teacher, live students required
• The classroom and learning are competitive and
  individualistic
• Talent and ability are rare

3
Instruction Paradigm in Higher Ed. (Barr and
Tagg, 1995)

• Atomistic parts prior to whole
• Time held constant, learning varies
• 50-minute lecture, 3-unit course
• Classes start/end at same time
• One teacher, one classroom
• Independent disciplines, departments
• Covering material
• End-of-course assessment
• Grading within classes by instructors
• Private assessment
• Degree equals accumulated credit hours

4
According to Cajete (2005), a few characteristics
that animate the expressions of indigenous
education are
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The sacred view of Nature permeates and
contextualizes the foundational process of
teaching and learning.

• Integration and interconnectedness are universal
  traits.

• Relationships between elements and knowledge
  bases radiate in concentric rings of process and
  structure.

6
Its processes adhere to the principle of
reciprocity between humans and all other things.

• It recognizes and incorporates the cycles within
  cycles, that is, that there are always deeper
  levels of meaning to be found in every
  learning-teaching process.

7
It presents something to learn for everyone, at
every stage of life.

• It recognizes the levels of maturity and
  readiness to learn in the developmental process
  of both males and females. This recognition is
  incorporated into the designs and situations in
  which indigenous teaching takes place.

8
It recognizes language as a sacred expression of
breath and incorporates this orientation in all
its foundations.

• It recognizes that each person and each culture
  contain the seeds of all that are essential to
  their well-being and positive development.

9
It recognizes that true learning occurs through
participating in and honoring relationships in
both the human and natural communities.

• It recognizes the power of thought and language
  to create the worlds we live in.

10
It recognizes and applies ordering through
ceremony, ritual, and community activity.

• It recognizes that the true sources of knowledge
  are to be found within the individual and
  entities of nature.

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The Learning Paradigm

• Knowledge exists in each persons mind and is
  shaped by individual experience
• Knowledge is constructed, created, and gotten
• Learning is a nesting and interacting of
  frameworks
• Fits learning how to ride a bicycle metaphor
• Learning is student centered and controlled
• Active learner required, but not live teacher
• Learning environments and learning are
  cooperative, collaborative, and supportive
• Talent and ability are abundant.

12
Learning Paradigm in Higher Ed.

• Holistic whole prior to parts
• Learning held constant, time varies
• Learning environments
• Environment ready when student is
• Whatever learning experience works
• Cross discipline/department collaboration
• Specified learning results
• Pre/during/post assessments
• External evaluations of learning
• Public assessment
• Degree equals demonstrated knowledge and skills

13
Research
Acculturation
Reintegration
Resilience
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Obstacles to recruiting Native American students
(Terrance, 2006)

• Getting students to consider schools out of their
  home state can be difficult.
• Reputation of institution in Native communities.
• Limited number of Native faculty and staff on
  campuses.
• Participation of Native students in large general
  information sessions/programs when colleges visit
  areas.

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Institutional Obstacles

• Getting the admissions community to take
  responsibility for recruitment of Native
  students. Often times, admissions offices will
  leave the recruitment to the Native
  programs/staff person they have on campus.
• Often there is a lack of incorporation of Native
  American recruitment in regional travel by
  admissions staff. Claiming limited resources and
  time.

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Institutional Obstacles cont

• In the numbers game of admissions, it can be
  difficult to weed out the box checkers. Often
  times admissions does not see how that will
  affect the Native community on campus and
  compromise the integrity of the institution.
• Admissions office dont understand the importance
  of recruiting the whole community doing
  workshops in Native communities (urban and
  reservation).

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Strategies for successful recruitment of Native
American college students (Hanitchak, 2006)

• Native American cultural and political
  traditions may be foreign to many higher
  education leaders
• Develop continued relationships with specific
  tribes
• Visit often and become a known entity
• Become a safe choice for applicants and their
  families
• Recruiting should vary depending upon the
  institutions geographic location

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Important Features of Haudensaunce College
Student Success (Waterman, 2004)

• Maintained cultural integrity or maintaining
  ones cultural identity, refusing to accept
  either assimilation or cultural rejection
  (Tierney 1999)
• Family support
• Academic engagement
• Previous community college experience
• Desire to give back to community

19
Mothers college experience positively
influences student development.
(Ecklund, 2005)

• The more autonomous a student is the increased
  likelihood of student success.

• The higher family income the increased
  likelihood of student success.

20
The following are recommendations for student
affairs professionals to help assure positive
experiences for Native American students on their
campuses (Lowe, 2005).
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Work with Native American students prior to
their arrival on campus.

• Orient the student to the university, both as a
  campus and as a system.

• Orient the student to the localarea and to
  living in the area.

22
Help the students feel they are a part of the
university family.

• Students must have some place where they feel
  they belong.

• Find out what local services are available to
  Native Americans

• Conduct more research.

23
Provide help and be proactive about it.

• Never generalize treat each student as a unique
  person.

• Orient yourself to Native models or ways of
  thinking.

24
Foster and support the students Native identity.

• Find ways to identify and nurture Native
  American students own strengths.

• Perceive and treat each Native student as able
  to succeed.

25
What language can you speak?

• Tribal Language only (e.g., Cherokee,
  Navajo, and Lakota)

0.9

• Mostly tribal language, some English

0.4

• Tribal language and English about equally well
  (bilingual)

3.9

• Mostly English, some tribal language

48.9

• English only

45.9
26
What language do you prefer?

• Tribal Language only (e.g., Cherokee,
  Navajo, and Lakota)

3.5

• Mostly tribal language, some English

3.5

• Tribal language and English about equally well
  (bilingual)

16.5

• Mostly English, some tribal language

32.5

• English only

44.2
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How do you identify yourself?

• Native American

58.9
21.6

• Native American and some non-Native
• American (e.g. White, African
• American, Latino, Asian American)

• Native American and non-Native American
  (bicultural)

14.3

• Non-Native American and some Native American

4.8

• Non-Native American (e.g.,White, African
  American, Latino, and Asian
  American

0.4
28
Which identification does (did) your mother use?

• Native American

64.8
9.1

• Native American and some non-Native
• American (e.g. White, African
• American, Latino, Asian American)

• Native American and non-Native American
  (bicultural)

3.9

• Non-Native American and some Native American

5.7

• Non-Native American (e.g.,White, African
  American, Latino, and Asian American

16.5
29
Which identification does (did) your father use?

• Native American

62.3
7.5

• Native American and some non-Native
• American (e.g. White, African
• American, Latino, Asian American)

• Native American and non-Native American
  (bicultural)

3.9

• Non-Native American and some Native American

3.9
22.4

• Non-Native American (e.g.,White, African
  American, Latino, and Asian American

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What was the ethnic origin of friends you had as
a child up to age 6?

• Only Native American

13.1

• Mostly Native American

23.6

• About equally Native Americans and non-
  Native Americans

17
31

• Mostly non-Native Americans (e.g., Whites,
• African Americans, Latinos,
• and Asian Americans)

• Only non-Native Americans

15.3
31
What was the ethnic origin of friends you had as
a child age 6 to 18?

• Only Native American

2.2

• Mostly Native American

28.1

• About equally Native Americans and non-
  Native Americans

24.2

• Mostly non-Native Americans (e.g.,Whites,
  African Americans, Latinos, and Asian
  Americans)

36.8
8.7

• Only non-Native Americans

32
Who do you associate with now in your community?

• Only Native American

3.5

• Mostly Native American

23.9

• About equally Native Americans and non-Native
  Americans

45.2

• Mostly non-Native Americans (e.g.,Whites,
  African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans)

25.2

• Only non-Native Americans

2.2
33
What music do you prefer?

• Native American music only (e.g.,pow-wow
  music, traditional flute, contemporary, and
  chant)

0.9

• Mostly Native American music

0.4

• About equally Native American and other
  music

33.3

• Mostly other music (e.g., rock, pop, country,
• rap)

54.5

• Other music only

10.8
34
What movies do you prefer?

• Native American movies only

0

• Mostly Native American movies

1.3

• About equally Native American and other
  movies

5.2

• Mostly other movies

41.3

• Other movies only

5.2
35
Where were you born?
24.3

• Reservation, Native American community

• Rural area, Native American community

6.5

• Urban area, Native American community

9.1

• Urban or rural area, near Native American
  community

27.4

• Urban or rural area, away from Native
  American community

32.6
36
Where were you raised?
36.7

• Reservation, Native American community

• Rural area, Native American community

8.0

• Urban area, Native American community

5.8

• Urban or rural area, near Native American
  community

20.8

• Urban or rural area, away from Native
  American community

28.8
37
What contact have you had with Native American
communities?
49.1

• Raised for 1 year or more on the
  reservation or other Native American
  community

• Raised for 1 year or less on the reservation
• or other Native American community

3.9

• Occasional visits to the reservation or other
  Native American community

28.9
14.5

• Occasional communications with people on
  reservation or other Native American
  community.

3.5

• No exposure or communications with people on
  reservation or other Native American
  community.

38
What foods do you prefer?

• Native American foods only

1.7

• Mostly Native American foods and some other
  foods.

11.7

• About equally Native American foods and some
  other foods

63.6
20.8

• Mostly other foods

• Other foods only

2.2
39
In what language do you think?
0.4

• Tribal language (e.g.,Cherokee, Navajo, and
  Lakota)

• Mostly tribal language, some English

1.7

• Tribal language and English about equally

6.5

• Mostly English, some tribal language

26.0

• English only

65.4
40
Do you

• Read only a tribal language (e.g., Cherokee,
  Navajo, and Lakota)

0

• Read a tribal language better than English

0

• Read both a tribal language and English
• about equally well

7.4

• Read English better than a tribal language

38.7

• Read only English

53.9
41
Do you

• Write only a tribal language (e.g.,
  Cherokee, Navajo, and Lakota)

0.4

• Write a tribal language better than English

0

• Write both a tribal language and English about
  equally well

5.2

• Write English better than a tribal language

30.4

• Write only English

63.9
42
How much pride do you have in Native American
culture and heritage?

• Extremely proud

76.1

• Moderately proud

19.1

• A little pride

3.9

• No pride, but do not feel negative toward group

0.9

• No pride, but do feel negative toward group

0
43
How would you rate yourself?

• Very Native American

37.6

• Mostly Native American

24.9

• Bicultural

29.3

• Mostly non-Native American

7.9

• Very non-Native American

0.4
44
Do you participate in Native American traditions,
ceremonies, occasions, and so on?

• All of them

19

• Most of them

29.4

• Some of them

29

• A few of them

18.6

• None at all

3.9
45
Acculturation by Gender and Age (Ecklund, 2005)
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NASPA ACPA Research (Waterman, 2004)

• 1991-2000 Journals
• 602 Total articles 4 main topic 7 discussed
• 1990-2000 Conferences 6,080 conference
  programs
• 18 main topic 12 discussedMcClellan, (2004)

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(No Transcript)
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According to Larimore and McClellan (2005), the
following areas offer promise to researchers
interested in informing future efforts to improve
Native American student retention in colleges and
universities
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Revising Tintos theory of student departure
(1975, 1986) or developing new alternates to it
(Braxton, 2000).
50
Advancing the work under way on alternative
constructs and conceptual frameworks Huffmans
work (2001) on resistance theory and the
transculturation hypothesis and the work of
Heavyrunner and others on resilience and the
Family Education Model are among the promising
alternative frameworks in need of further
exploration.
51
Developing research projects that allow for
comparative analysis across several institutions
in addition to analysis within particular
institutions.
52
Adding to the existing, albeit sparse, body of
qualitative work on the experiences of Native
American students in postsecondary education
(see, for example, Garrod and Larimore, 1997).
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Exploring the experiences, perspectives, and
needs of Native American faculty and staff in
postsecondary institutions, particularly with
respect to their interactions with students who
are Native American.
54
Examining the factors that have influenced the
creation and development of support programs for
Native American students.
55
Developing a culturally based model of identity
development for Native American people.
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Research
Acculturation
Reintegration
Resilience