case studies of aboriginal students

CASE STUDIES OF ABORIGINAL STUDENTS - '. A MEASURE OF SUCCESS FOR TERTIARY STUDIES *P.C.Taylor, J.A.Malone. D.F.Treagl1st

·INTRODUCTION The issue of selecting potentially successful students for a course of study is of ceritral concern to course organisers •. Nowhere is tpis issue of more concern than in the area of bridging courses designed to promote access to tertiary courses arid. professions in w]1ich Aboriginal 'people are grossly under-:represent~d. Organisers of bridging courses are faced with the problem of 'ide.ntifying potentially·_ successful candidates and d~signing courses tomeet.iheir individual learning needs. The prol::>lem exists because of. the unprecedented nature of· innovative.courses catering for newly defined . clientele such as mature-aged, urban and academically aspiring Aboriginal students •.

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· Bridging ccmrse organisers have aI1 ou~standing need for information about appropriate prerequisite student qualities and ·.about methods of detecting them. Without this information, . course organisers are at risk of using ad hoc selection processes and enrolling some -students who are likely to be unsuccessful (yet ·again) but who might achieve success in a more appropriate course. of study. This problem, which may be termed 'overselection' of students, might be exacerbated by responsive course design which purports to meet the needs of individu~l siudents by providing individualised programs that allow students to progress "at their own best rates". In selecting candidates for.this type of course there may be a temptation to relax selection. criteria in an attempt, .io cater for any interested candidate~ regardless.of educational background or personal·. circtimstances. On the other hand,· there is a risk that potentially success:.. ( . ful students might not be selected because they do not have certain prescribed·qu~lities which they might later develop during the course of study. In remaining-conscious of this latter problem, which may be. termed 'underselection' -of students, course organisers Malone~ David Treagust, Science an.d Mathem_atics Ed_ucatioh Centre, Curtin Universi·t'!! (?f Tephnology,' W.A.

* Peter Taylor, John

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might ,ovei::-cO!JlPE~J1:sa.Je · j.n J.h.e '.:seJ~ctioJ1 pr,9,c_e_;;s.jn favot1_r pf. unsui t,.,., able1,.,cand,ida:tes •. , Pres~uses . tqJJH.1 quotg.s.~ (a~? r~c..e~yEJ IJl~ximu~. p~r capita grarits) together ,¥iJ:J1.:\R· ~bl~e~,ing,: he51,rt' .. P~Po?pphr,tpaJ ; ·. justifies the selection of unsuitable candidates :.on the basis that ·they :l'.Wi llI.get: SOmeJ)1i,ng,~9_µ't cof t!i.e: ,CO:tJJ:;;:~}',: a};~p lll~J?;]1_,t; ~.e, ±;actors con:tribu~inK tp; ov~r.-G()mpensa:tto.11 .J.n ·:th~ 1 ~e·lje ·e; ; :,~···:t' .-:~·';,

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Ste yen

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· Steven was born in Darwin, Nor.ther:n _Terri;tory . in 1965. cind .- spent most. of1.his e;:trly life >ih Broome with his. parents. He :.was. sent to Perth for his-secondary education: and .was a s.tudent i.n a · metropolitan senior high school. Steven left school mid-way··. through Year 11 in 1982. At the time he was studying Mathematics 1, · PhysicaL Science; Biology; Applied Technology and J:iconomJcs: '· (subjectS ~from:the TertiarycAdmissions Examination,or TAE .. syllabusJ. Although; he "enj.oyed science and found i:t very, interesting~ he stronglycd-is:liked ;school and ;had an intense .desire to~ leave a~ ~09n as possible~. His academic motivati~n- wa's;.not st:rong, and_)1e found:; that his main interest. at s.cho.ol was .sport. ·.lie p1ay~d ·cricket,< footbaH and basketpaH and s~ill plays' competitive basketball. today: ·/ _,

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After leaving·schooF·Steven.worke& in his uncle's·•landscape , gardenin·g •.busines·s for two· year's-~--· He. then became ·emp'loy.ed· 'bY:;the Aboriginal M~dical • Servicev (AMS) as:: a labo"ratory ·assistant.. ·..His·, , mother: had' be·en employed by AMS ..a~ a clinical sj:ste:r )for 10. ye,ar.s.,~i:. Steven's interests in a professional career in medical science began to flourish. At work he was undergoing training in a pathology laboratory and away from work he sought out private tuition ·iD' Human_ Biology_ ,and Bio.c:;,~~'!Ilistry, _with a .Yi.ew to even,tu.~l_l~ sitting the U:nivers·ity;·entrance' examl.nations'. · ·•.. ·. · ':. -~ · · :·' : ·· · , . .;' . : ',

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. At th~. end. of. 1985,. at. _the age .of ~O .years,, he. enrqq~d. in the Ab.c)riginal BridgingCours~ ·in the. I:e,centlY. develop.ed .~heinistry _~ and inatheipatics programs. . Hi~ ~xpr~ssed; goal was : '.tQ,.~ st¥~, .....". · "' meqJC,ine ':,and .he saw the bridg~ng :Prog:r;am -, as a foµnda):~gn,,~p· .~h~ , .~ higher medical. 'sc:ienCeS I 9 .lJi particular,~ he' WlShed. tO~ _qllalifi ~q·f:' entry info the Medical Technology Course'. · .. ,. . Steyen.successfuUy completedf:th~ 12.units of .the ,Chemistry pr9grani and 7 unifs .of the Mathematl~s .P,rogram. · His ·progress "'.as cowinen~abie; especially .i·n v1ew .o~. ~i~(·genera11y .w.eak mathelI)a~As.a\, ba~k'.gr()U:nci 'and his:_ lOii'g· absenc:e '..;frdm"formal. ,learning.: His pJ:Ogress w'ls a~'.sfsted ;oy hiS, confideriC:e' is .a· l~arner, ..his, h1gli"Ctegree ;oJ· "'-' · seH-irio,tixatXon, .. and .the .fJI1pres'.sive eflort that h.e sustained ...... throughput· the year in m~et'ing:botl1'l.ii5 ~b~ go'als ai\d those. of the .. programs. ... .

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As a learner, Steven was quieqy .'?().nfid~nt an,d ~Ol]!ewl,l,fl~ · . ; reserved, although he was usually wi'llihg to s·eel< 'assistance from' tuto.rs .and p_arti.cip,ated. ,Jn group ..diSCl.lS,sion. He. d~yeloped ,efficient and e1:fective organizational skills arid was highly self-motivated. Al though his degree of perseverance in overcoming learning difficulties was high, some of his misconceptions were not readily resolved in student-tutor infei"actions as· his degree of resistance to their rejection was alsd,high.· However, after prolonged.iridividual intE'.ractioris with the .tutors, Steven's misconceptions were eventually:;:. rectified~ · . . ·-' 'o.L Steven graduated,, with distinction,. :frqm the Aboriginal ·"' :., • d3ridging Course, .in December 1986. He applied for ~~specia1.,.entry'. into the MediCal .Science )undergraduate couTse at an Australfci.ri· :. , university~ Of five" Aboriginal appliciants from Western AustraHa·,; Steven was ranked second after preliminary interviews and .. was:, . invited to attend a week-long testing.. and orientation program at the university. Ten Aborigines. from Queensland,.'Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia competed for the four available· 'special-entry' places. Steven was successful and was offered a place. He~cominenced in the. first-year":of the course in 19.87.• He was 'also .'.offered a. place in the Medical Laboratory Sciences. undeigraduate course at Curtin University .of Technology. Steven suctessfuily completed the first year of the course and is now iff,--; the second year.· , . (, .?:.~ 1

Gary

Gary· was born in Leonora, Wes.t.ern Austraiia, where he spent.:." most of his early life with his parents. He was sent to Perth for· his secondary education and was a resident student at a private

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boys;'.: ~~~?ft~iry lch~o1 1~: G~ry cmnplet,ed Y~a·~·,1'2.Jn~l98S.~nd'sat'.the. Tertiary AdmissfonsvExamination in the 'folJo~ing.'suojects :, Maths" l, .: Geography, English,- Physics, Bio.logy,' 'Ad'vancea:. Iii:'dustria:i ·Arts; · ' Gary's attitude to school and formal learning was. not favourable during his final year. Although he had a high regard for his -1~,;y··'·. abilitX to,.~ch~eve, ,he lacked . confide"Qc,~, .~n contacts ~ith: hi~,,peers. He was app·oihted 'as 'd'. ptefect' ae sch'oo!"J)ut' found fellow. stti9ents. '· 'diffi~.ult' ·tc?'hiridle' ~·. . ·e~peci~lly, wh~~~ they, 9ueried. hi~,, fac~al . :": ~. '. background. He did' not' relate ·we'll' to· hi"s··mathematics·'teacher an.d ·' df