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Closing Gaps in Indigenous Undergraduate Higher Education Outcomes: Repositioning the Role of Student Support Services to Improve Retention and Completion Rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2017

Martin Nakata ,
Vicky Nakata ,
Andrew Day  and
Michael Peachey
Martin Nakata*
Affiliation:
Indigenous Education and Research Centre, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD4811, Australia
Vicky Nakata
Affiliation:
The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, QLD4870, Australia
Andrew Day
Affiliation:
Indigenous Education and Research Centre, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD4811, Australia
Michael Peachey
Affiliation:
Nura Gili Indigenous Programs Unit, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Martin Nakata, Indigenous Education and Research Centre, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD4811, Australia. Email: martin.nakata@jcu.edu.au
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Abstract

The current change agenda to improve the persistently lower rates of access, participation and outcomes of Indigenous Australians in higher education is a broad one that attempts to address the complex range of contributing factors. A proposition in this paper is that the broad and longer-term focus runs the risk of distracting from the detailed considerations needed to improve support provisions for enrolled students in the immediate term. To bring more attention to this area of indicated change, we revisit ‘the gaps’ that exist between the performance of Indigenous and all other domestic students and the role that student support services have to play in improving retention and completion rates of enrolled Indigenous students. We outline some principles that can guide strategies for change in Indigenous undergraduate student support practices in Australian universities to respond to individual student needs in more effective and timely ways. These are illustrated using examples from the redevelopment of services provided by an Indigenous Education centre in a Go8 university, along with data gathered from our ARC study into Indigenous academic persistence in formal learning across three Australian universities.

Keywords

Indigenous Australianshigher educationstudent supportstudent servicesprofessional development
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , August 2019 , pp. 1 - 11
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

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