Article Analysis: Student Learning in Aboriginal Community
Student Name: Michelle Trenwith
In no more than two sentences, summarise the abstract which provides an overview of the article’s content.
This journal article engages the findings from interviews of past and present University of Queensland Indigenous students to explore the experiences that either inhibit or enhance their higher education study outcomes. It discusses how this knowledge can be used to enrich their tertiary education experience and increase the participation and completion rates in higher education for these Indigenous students.
In the introduction, describe in your own words the problem which has led to the author’s interest in this area? What is the rationale for the study at the University of Queensland? The problem leading to the author’s interest in this area is the underrepresentation of Indigenous students in higher education enrolments. The author notes that this inequitable underrepresentation can contribute to an exacerbation and continuation of the problems associated with low socio economic status often encountered by Indigenous students. The University of Queensland provides support services to Indigenous students through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit. The rationale of the study was to investigate the level of success of this unit in supporting Indigenous students and improving their experiences as students of the University of Queensland.
Describe in your own words, the methods for this particular study which can be located under the subheading The Processes. The methods for this study included face to face or phone interviews with current, graduate and non-completed Indigenous students of the University of Queensland. The audio of the interviews was recorded and transcribed before being analysed by computer software to identify the appearance of common themes in the interviews.
A number of themes were identified as part of the findings from this study. The first group of themes refer to inhibiting factors for the transition into and through university. The second group of themes refer to success factors. In your own words, please write one paragraph to summarise the inhibiting factors, and one paragraph to summarise the success factors. The inhibiting factors identified in the study include education, language barriers, socio economic status, and the goals, family and work commitments of the students. The findings indicate that although students are challenged by literacy levels, and balancing academic demands with other responsibilities in their first year of higher education, they received more support during that time. The transition from second to third year of study was shown as an inhibiting factor as the students had greater levels of personal challenges, including health and finances, but received less support.
The success factors identified in the study include family and community support, university support and intrinsic motivation factors. Some individuals interviewed stated their desire to prove to themselves, or others that a successful higher education outcome was possible, both personally, and as Indigenous students. A desire to improve the future for their communities through education was another success factor. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit was successful according to some students as it provided them with a place to go to relax, socialise, receive academic support and the ability to connect with the Indigenous community.
In your own words, describe the main points found within the concluding paragraph ‘Outcomes and beyond’.
The ‘Outcomes and beyond’ section highlights some information gathered from the study and how it is being used to improve the representation levels of Indigenous students in higher education. Some issues were being faced equally by Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, such as motivation and the need for family, community and academic institution support. Indigenous students identified an increased level of obligation to family and community. Many Indigenous students indicated the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies unit played an important role in providing support and cultural connection, but not all students accessed the unit. It is indicated that a greater level of support is required throughout the academic journey, not just in the first year. Two of the outcomes from the project are: a website providing information, direction and resources for Indigenous students, and the introduction of Indigenous Student Relations Officers, collecting data, providing information and support to empower Indigenous students.
Now create an overall summary: summarise the abstract, introduction, methods, inhibiting and success factors, and concluding points from the outcomes and beyond section, in one brief paragraph. This may draw on some of what you have written above.
This journal article engages the findings from interviews of University of Queensland Indigenous students to explore their experiences, either positive or negative, of higher education. These include issues such as language, socio economic status, commitments, family and community support and intrinsic motivation factors. The University of Queensland provides support services to Indigenous students through its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit. The unit plays an important role in providing support and cultural connection, but not all students access the unit. Indigenous students identified an increased level of obligation to family and community and a greater need for increased support throughout the academic journey, not just in the first year. In the future, the unit will provide more information and support both online and in person to meet the academic and cultural needs of Indigenous students.
1.Paragraph for Summarising:
Please summarise this extract from page 158 of the ‘Some Things Never Change: Gender Segregation in Higher Education across Eight Nations and Three Decades’ article
(https://login.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?qurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.jstor.org%2fopenurl%3fvolume%3d84%26date%3d2011%26spage%3d157%26issn%3d00380407%26issue%3d2) in as few lines as possible, with correct citation:
First, gender differences in higher education are patterned along a humanistic-scientific divide. Indeed, the sociological debate has focused to a considerable extent on female underrepresentation in scientific fields. However, it is not clear whether this divide tells the whole story about gender segregation in higher education…Another well-established finding of empirical research is that gender segregation is a universal feature of higher education institutions…At the same time, previous studies have documented that significant differences between nations exist in the degree of female under- or overrepresentation in specific academic specialities. The balance between cross-national similarities and differences in gender segregation across fields remains an open question.
Answer 1: Now, type your summary below, and include the appropriate in-text citation (Swinburne Harvard Style).
2.Sections for Paraphrasing:
Paraphrase, with correct citation, the following section from the ‘Some Things Never Change: Gender Segregation in Higher Education across Eight Nations and Three Decades’ article
(https://login.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?qurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.jstor.org%2fopenurl%3fvolume%3d84%26date%3d2011%26spage%3d157%26issn%3d00380407%26issue%3d2)
to explain what the author/s think/s about gender segregation. Taken from p. 171 of the article:
The analyses presented in this work indicate that gender segregation in higher education has declined surprisingly little in recent decades and that it displays a largely similar level and qualitative pattern in several countries. This basic invariance closely matches the invariance of gender segregation in the labour market. In both respects, there are significant cross-national and historical variations, but they are best described as variations on the same underlying theme.
Answer 2: Now, type your paraphrase below, and include the appropriate in-text citation (Swinburne Harvard Style).
3. Paraphrase, with correct citation, the following section from page 321 of the ‘Speaking about Cultural Difference and School Disadvantage’ article (http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01425690120067953
to explain what the author found from their interview:
Fofoa Safotu suggested that teachers’ ‘lack of understanding about Samoan students’ may have produced strongly insulated boundaries between the category, ‘Samoan student’, and other categories of students. In addition, she stated that discourses on aptitude might have been invoked in the construction of these boundaries, with Samoan students being positioned as ‘below average’.
Answer 3: Now, type your paraphrase below, and include the appropriate in-text citation (Swinburne Harvard Style).
4.Line for Quoting:
Please demonstrate how you would use this line from page 332 of the ‘Speaking about Cultural Difference and School Disadvantage’ article (http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01425690120067953) as a quotation in a sentence, with correct citation:
Peone Avao and Deso Vailoa indicated that the arbitrary organisation of school knowledge (sequencing and pacing rules) was not designed to meet the needs of students who did not speak English at home, and spoke a form of ‘broken’ English in the school, namely the Samoan learner.
