Confirmation of Candidature - Exploring Community Consultation for Successful Aboriginal Learning in a Remote Kimberley Community School

In all Australian schools, the voices of Aboriginal students, parents and elders should be given consideration when creating school improvement plans, curriculum documents, guidelines, policies, and school frameworks. This helps align Indigenous knowledge and perspectives with the teaching and learning programs implemented in schools. It also provides more opportunities for Aboriginal community members to be engaged in their children's education.

The proposed research will explore the research question: How can community consultation contribute to the successful learning of Aboriginal students in remote Kimberley schools? The ethnographic study will be guided by critical theory, and it will be conducted in the Yungngora community in the Kimberley, Western Australia, where participants will be parents and caregivers, community elders and teachers. Data will be gathered through social and collaborative yarning and a research journal, and they will be analysed using thematic analysis, with coding carried out in NVivo. The findings from the proposed study will provide insights into aligning practices that create positive partnerships between schools and Aboriginal communities. Specifically, it will identify relevant contributions made collectively by the Walmajaari and Nykina people to produce a school framework incorporating Indigenous culture and language for successful Aboriginal learning. The study aims to promote positive changes and allow Aboriginal voices to be heard in the education of future generations of this community.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.