The school physical education program: developing First Nation educational resiliency
Date
1999
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Eight First Nation students were interviewed to gather their perceptions and
personal meanings they ascribed to their involvement in the school physical education
program. The participants are First Nation students from one First Nation community in
Northwestern Saskatchewan. Each of the participants started the school year at the same
publicly funded provincial school located outside the First Nation, but elected diverse
educational routes. Four participants returned to continue their studies at the First
Nation High School while four dropped out of school entirely.
Qualitative methods including individual interviews, focus group interviews,
observation, document analysis, and journaling were utilized throughout the study. The
decision to use interviewing as the primary data gathering technique was based on its
ability to provide the framework within which "people can respond in a way that
represents accurately and thoroughly their points of view about the world" (Patton,
1990, p. 24). This method of data gathering places a greater amount of control and
power in the hands of participants.
Dropout rates among the Canadian First Nation population are significantly
higher than their non-Native counterparts (Anisef& Johnson, 1993; Department of
Indian and Norther Affairs Canada, 1995; Ross & Usher, 1992). There are multiple
sources of risk factors among the First Nation population which contribute to the higher
dropout rate. Despite these impairments to educational achievement many First Nation
students are able to surmount the odds set against them. This study identifies five
elements which provided the participants with the support necessary to develop educational resiliency.
The five elements served to rebuff external life stressors and assisted these
participants in coping with their environment and ultimately contributed to their ability
to remain in school. The elements are by no means independent from one another,
rather, they work in unison and form an interdependent network which provided the
necessary support to be successful in their educational endeavors. The elements which
contribute to resiliency have five main themes and can be likened to a tipi. As the tipi
protects its occupants from external elements and provides shelter and warmth, the five
elements have served to protect these First Nation students from dropping out of school.
The resiliency tipi is held together at the top by the first element, the school physical
education program, while the remaining four elements comprise the poles and include;
personal characteristics and attributes, family factors, constructive use of time, and
school and community supports.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Department
Curriculum Studies
Program
Curriculum Studies